Singapore History Gallery reopening, National Museum of Singapore

Seven hundred years of history, and for once it asks what you think.

The Singapore History Gallery at the National Museum of Singapore has reopened after a three-year revamp, its first major one, and it is worth a return visit even if you knew the old version well. It suits newcomers who want the whole sweep in one go and residents who want to see their own decades in a display case. The only decision is timing: the museum's 139th anniversary programme, 'Stories of Everyday', runs until Sunday 18 October with installations, an art market, live performances and workshops; after that, a quiet weekday gets you the rickshaw to yourself. The gallery itself is permanent.

The sweep is as big as ever: more than 700 years in chronological order, from the 1300s to now, across seven zones. What has changed is the texture. The new version is built around people's stories; you can pull a rickshaw and listen to a poem, and the way in runs through the Singapore Odyssea installation in the Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda.

The objects mix the venerable with the startlingly familiar. The Singapore Stone is here, and so is a newly commissioned model of a jongkong boat. So is the piano Zubir Said used to compose 'Majulah Singapura', which deserves a quiet minute. And then there is a restored HDB lift, possibly the first time you will regard one with affection rather than impatience.

The best idea comes near the end. Voice-input stations along the route let you record your own reflections, which feed into the closing section. Use one: it is a neat answer to the question every national museum has to face, namely whose story this is.

Check the museum's site for opening hours and tickets before you go.

Good to know The revamped gallery reopened on 10 October 2026, and the 'Stories of Everyday' anniversary programme runs 10–18 October. Check the National Museum's official site for opening hours and tickets before you go.