Originally a swampy piece of land, this area was the site of the Singapore Sporting Club, formed in 1842. Singapore's first race meeting was held there in 1843, shortly after the land had been drained. In 1891, Singapore's first organised game of golf was played on a nine-hole golf course in the middle of the racecourse. The area was also used for cattle grazing, and as a rifle range. In 1911, the park became the first place in Singapore from which an aeroplane took off. In 1919, celebrations marking the centenary of the Founding of Singapore were held there. In 1924, the Singapore Sporting Club was renamed the Singapore Turf Club (the club moved to Bukit Timah in 1933). The area was renamed Farrer Park in 1935, in honour of Municipal Councillor R.G. Farrer, who ran the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1930s. During the Japanese Occupation, the park was an assembly point for Malay and Indian prisoners-of-war. After the war, Farrer Park became the scene of many People's Action Party rallies, and was used as a sporting venue. Farrer Park later became the site of a housing development.