Background

A dry season in 2001 uncovered an outline of a bastion wall. The awareness resulted in community efforts of more than 1,000 volunteers, from all walks of life, led by the local archaeological team to uncover Fort Tanjong Katong within Katong Park in 2004. A fund raising dinner in 2004 was also organised and graced by many community leaders that raised S$250,000 to fund the excavation works. After offsetting the funds for the 2004 archaeological works and the fund raising dinner, an estimated S$150,000 remains in abeyance by Mountbatten Citizen’s Consultative Committee (CCC) dedicated for the Fort Tanjung Katong project.

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After the Preliminary Archaeological Report[1] was released, a proposal was also put up subsequently to National Heritage Board (NHB) to gazette Fort Katong for preservation. It was understood that in 2008, Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) had made recommendations to keep the archaeological remains of the Fort buried[2].  The rationale for the recommendation is to protect the fort from damage by further weathering or human interface which will lead to long term maintenance and cost. There are also considerable costs involved in undertaking full excavations to expose the structures.

 

[1]. ‘Fort Tanjong Katong Raising History Planting Roots Project: Preliminary Site Report version 1.2’, by Lim Chen Sian on behalf of Archaeology Team, 2005

[2]. ‘Fort Tanjong Katong will not be gazetted’, AsiaOne, 19 May 2010