The Singapore Philatelic Museum is a noted name among the Stamp Museums across the globe. The word philatelic is derived from the word philately, which refers to the study of postage and revenue stamps. As the first philatelic museum of Southeast Asia, the Singapore Philatelic was inaugurated in August 19, 1995 as a venture of the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore. On April 1, 2000, the Singapore Philatelic Museum was transferred to the National Heritage Board as a fully owned subordinate project. Created from the blanket of civic responsibility, the Singapore Philatelic Museum takes on the role of curator and custodian of the national wealth of philatelic materials for the future generations and education.
Mission
The Singapore Philatelic Museum showcases the country’s collection of philatelic materials, stamps and artifacts postal history. The souvenirs date back to the Straits Settlements and some of them are also the rare collections of private collectors. Some of the initiatives that are organized by the Singapore Philatelic Stamp Museum, one of the noted Stamp Museums of the country, are educational activities and public programs meant for families, schools and the general public. One of the missions of the museum has been to promote, through philately, the academic usage of philatelic materials to help people learn about the world and national history and heritage.
Architecture
The Singapore Philatelic Museum was a part of the Anglo Chinese School designed by Tomlinson and Lermit. The architects were commissioned in 1906 by the trustees of the Anglo Chinese School as an additional building of the Oldham Hall School which was built in 1897. The plans of this building received approval on 22nd June 1906.
The well-designed and proportionate building of the Singapore Philatelic Museum evokes a sense of grandeur. The architectural features of visual interest are an aide memoire of the colonial era. The façade is accentuated with elaborate arches along the second storey verandahs. The skylight windows, enhanced with metal ornamentation rest above the double-leafed full-length doors.
1970s onwards, the Singapore Philatelic Museum was used as a Methodist Book Room, until it was restored in 1995.
Image Credit : Erwin Soo