Stamford Road was named after the modern founder of Singapore, Thomas Stamford Raffles. It was formerly known as Hospital Street. In Hokkien, it was formerly known as lau chui khe or "flowing water road", due to the high tide, the now covered up Stamford Canal overflowed its banks. The road used to house the Saint Andrew's School from the late 19th century till 1941 when it moved to Woodsville Hill. The site was taken by the now demolished National Library in 1960 until it was demolished in 2005 to make way for the new Fort Canning Tunnel.