Discover the antique musical boxes in the first musical box museum in Singapore.

Dear Valued Patrons of the Museum

We have an important announcement to share with you today.

Since 2013, the Singapore Musical Box Museum has been cherished by many.

However, we will be temporarily closing while we relocate.

Our landlord, Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, has asked us to vacate as they plan to extensively renovate the culturally significant building.

The museum recognizes the significance of this building and has respectfully agreed to their request.

Currently, the museum is exploring relocation options with the support of the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Land Authority.

We aim to evolve into a more captivating institution, allowing more people to learn about culture and history.

Our last day of operation at Thian Hock Keng Temple will be on July 25th.

This will be the final opportunity to see our exhibition at this location, so please make your tour reservations as soon as possible.

Many private museums have had to close due to COVID-19, but we have been able to continue thanks to the love and support of our visitors.

We will continue to serve as an educational institution contributing to Singaporean society, and we are deeply grateful for your ongoing support.

We look forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely,

Singapore Musical Box Museum

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Overview

Musical Boxes were an important symbol of European culture dating back to the 19th century and early 20th century.

Historical resources have shown that Singapore played an integral part in the progress and development of musical boxes in South-east Asia during that time frame. 

In this Singapore’s first musical box museum, we aim to share the historical background from the rise to the fall of the musical boxes to how it made its way to Singapore in the 19th century to the public.

We aim to also, to function as a repository for academic research, education and above all, preservation of such artifacts in Singapore for future generations.

Situated at 168 Telok Ayer Street, Chong-Wen Ge or the “Institute for the Veneration of Literature”, was the first educational institution set up in 1849 by the Chinese community in Singapore.

The school housed in a pagoda to the right of Thian Hock Keng temple, which was the most important Hokkien Temple at the time.

In 1915, one of the earliest Chinese girls’ school, Chong Hock Girls’ School, was founded in the adjacent temple pavilion and the premises remained in use until 1970’s. The temple complex was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973. 

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