The Adam Park Project

Item Information:

Catalogue Number: Chapel 002 Source: TAPP Collection Location: Grandstand Turf City Report No: Not Applicable Artifact Type: Document Production Date: 2016-01-21 00:00:00 Dimensions of Item: Various Copyright with The Adam Park Project

Other Description:

A collection of images pertaining to the The Volunteers Chapel located at The Grandstand at Turf City

Historic Context:

Following on from the success of finding the Adam Park Chapel, investigations were made into the locations of other chapels listed in the area. The book 'Churches of the Captivity in Malaya' (London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge [1946]) includes a coloured plate showing a sketch reputedly of the 'Voluteers Chapel' located at the Turf Club near Bukit Timah. The same image can be seen in the Changi Museum's display dedicated to POW Chapels.

The chapel was built by the Singapore Straits Volunteers during their time on a work party at the race track making hay for the Japanese Army's considerable stable of horses. According to the caption in the book it was built within the Governor's Box in the Old Grandstand,. The altar was made from portions of the original drink's bar and the gaping shell hole was blocked up with an old matress. The congregation numbered around 100.

Turf City is no longer the home of the Singapore Turf Club but the buildings including the grandstand still remain in place. Access to the Governor's Box is now by invitation only as its on the derelict 6th floor. It can be seen from the photograph's that the sketch has been compressed somewhat and the dimensions of the room are wider than inferred in the diagram. However the structure is well preserved and it is quite clearly the right space.  There are no murals noted for this Chapel.

The box is more renown for the fact that Queen Elizabeth II once watched the racing from the same room.