The Old Tanglin Officers mess was constructed in 1934-36 as part of the general upgrading of the Tanglin Barracks.
The barracks were established in 1861 to house British troops in response to defence concerns raised by the outbreak of the Crimeon War in 1854 and the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The grounds of a former nutmeg plantation were acquired and the work supervised by Chief Engineer Colonel George C. Collyer. Complacency and lack of funds, however, delayed completion until the transfer of Singapore’s administration from India to the Colonial Office in London in 1867 and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 renewed interest in protecting the island’s position and prosperity.
The first battalion to move into the barracks was the 80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot which arrived in Singapore on 17 March 1872. From that time, until the fall of Singapore in 1942. Tanglin barracks remained the home of the British garrison infantry battalion. Post-war, it served as General Headquarters of the Far East Land Forces.
With the withdrawal of the British troops from Singapore in 1971, the Tanglin Barracks became the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence. From February 1972 to April 1989, the site chosen for the Officers Mess was the crest of the hill then known as Mount Harriet. The original mess was constructed circa 1870 in timber with an attap roof. In the 1930s, when plans to fortify the island called for modernizing all existing military facilities, it was replaced by a neo-classical building in concrete with Shanghai plaster finish.
Restored in 1999-2001, this landmark is now part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.