Yan Kit Swimming Pool
Singapore’s second public swimming pool was officially opened on 29 December 1952. It was the first of a series of parks and pools built by the British colonial government after the Second World War to create more recreational facilities to aid public health and leisure. The pool was named after Canton-born dentist Look Yan Kit, who was involved in the founding of Kwong Wai Shiu Free Hospital in 1910.
The City Council built the $513,000 facility on a former railway site off Cantonment Road. The design by City Council architect W. Irving Watson consisted of three separate open-air pools lined up in a row on the close to 15,000-square-metres-site. The largest was a 50-metre long pool which had racing lines painted at its bottom, and on its deeper end was a six-metre diving tower with three springboards placed at 1, 3 and 5 metres. The practice pool was up to 6-feet deep (1.8-metres) with a lifeguard watchtower-cum-slide on one end. The beginner’s pool had a minimum depth of just one foot (0.3-metres). All three pools had pale-yellow tiles within.
Surrounding the pools were a single-storey clubhouse and three separate structures for changing rooms and showers. At the entrance of Yan Kit was also a children’s paddling pool housed in a little garden. All the pool structures, including its diving tower, were designed in a streamlined Modernist style. There was also a mural of sea creatures on the plain outer walls of the changing room facility.
When it first opened, the pool charged an entrance fee of 10 cents for those under 18 years old and 15 cents for adults. It became so popular that a two-hour limit was imposed on users. In 1954, Yan Kit became the first public pool to have floodlights installed so that it could be open until 9pm for more to use. It also began gallowing “mixed bathing” sessions to maximise use of the facility, particularly since it was designed with changing room for both sexes unlike Singapore’s first public swimming pool at Mount Emily.
In 2001, the pool was closed because of dwindling attendance and increasing maintenance cost. While the government put out an open call to privatise the pool in 2005, no viable proposals were received. A public petition for its re-opening in 2010 was also unsuccessful. In 2011, the pools were backfilled and grassed over. The Singapore Sports Council turned the area and its sole remaining structure—a single-storey “C”-shaped entrance—into a public playfield in 2019. Amongst its facilities include a multi-purpose court, fitness equipment and an events space.
Locations: 17 Yan Kit Rd, Singapore 088268
Architects: W. Irving Watson, City Council
Year: 1952
Status: Partially demolished
Sources:
“Council changes not easy–Nicoll.” The Straits Times, 30 December 1952, 7.
Koh, P.L. “Floodlight swimming in S’pore public pool.” The Singapore Free Press, 1 October 1954, 14.
“Last tender bid for four closed swimming pools.” The Straits Times, 14 April, 2009.
Lim, M. “A new life for old, unused pools.” The Straits Times, 19 June 2005.
“New pool opens on January 1.” The Singapore Free Press, 22 December 1952, 7.
Shuli Sudderuddin. “Hopes for reopening of Yan Kit pool dashed.” The Straits Times, 15 December, 2011, 6.
“Time to have fun and get active at new Yan Kit Playfield.” Sport Singapore, 30 November 2019, https://www.myactivesg.com/read/2019/11/time-to-have-fun-and-get-active-at-new-yan-kit-playfield.
Last modified on 17/5/2021. Description by Justin Zhuang.
