Read Bridge is less well known in comparison
to the other bridges straddling Singapore River. Today,
even people passing the bridge may not know its name.
Built in 1889 to replace the Merchant Bridge, the Read
Bridge was the initiative of a famous businessman William
Henry Read, a Scotsman who came to Singapore in 1841.
Read used to own a round cardamom plantation on the
site of today's Istana, and he was the first non-government
member of parliament in colonial Singapore who also
made notable contributions to public service.
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