Sir Stamford Raffles set up the first Botanical Garden at Fort Canning in 1822. The Gardens at their present site was founded in 1859 by an Agri-Horticultural Society, and later maintained by the government as an ornamental garden. These 32 hectares were originally the property of Chinese merchant Whampoa and was obtained by the government in exchange for land at Boat Quay where Whampoa built his Ice House.
In 1874 when the Society was in debt, the government took over the Botanic Gardens and opened it to the public while adding an additional 51 hectares of land. This was later developed into the campus of Raffles College in 1924. A part of the campus is now the National Parks Boards headquarters based in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
In 1888, the first director of the Gardens, Henry Nicholas Ridley led the pioneering of the rubber industry through his successful experiments with planting rubber in Singapore. A single-storey bungalow which served as Ridley's office and named Ridley Hall after the former Director was built in 1882. It remains preserved today as the Visitor Management and Education offices. Cluny Road, which connects the Botanic Gardens to Bukit Timah Road, is also said to be named after a rubber estate. In 1986, another 15 hectares of gardens were added along Cluny Road up to Bukit Timah Road.
Today the 148-year old equatorial botanical garden of 52 hectares is a star visitor attraction for tourists and locals alike. Educational programmes are organised for children and recreational programmes such as park performances are regularly organised at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.