List of the oldest buildings and structures in Hong Kong

Last updated

The following is a list of the oldest buildings and structures in Hong Kong.

Contents

Before 1800

Although Hong Kong was sparsely populated prior to the arrival of the British, the area has a number of historic structures:

BuildingYear completedBuilderSourceLocation
Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum 25-220AD Sham Shui Po District
Tung Chung Fort 1174–1189 Tung Chung
Tin Hau Temple, Joss House Bay 1266 Sai Kung District
Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda 15th century Ping Shan
Tang Ancestral Hall 14th centuryPing Shan
Yu Kiu Ancestral Hall 16th centuryPing Shan
Sau Choi Mansion Ping Shan
Law Uk Folk Museum 18th century Chai Wan
Tung Lung Fort 1719–1724 Sai Kung District
Fan Lau Fort 1729 Lantau
Entrance Tower of Ma Wat Wai Fanling
Kun Lung Gate Tower1744Fanling
Sam Tung Uk 1786 Tsuen Wan

19th century

Most of the buildings built during this period was by the British and mostly on Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula:

BuildingYear completedBuilderStyleSourceLocation
Yeung Hau Temple 1811 Ha Tsuen
Tung Chung Battery 1817 Tung Chung
Stanley Fort 1840s?Victorian Stanley
Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong 1840s–1874Victorian Central
Victoria Prison 1841Victorian Central
Murray House 1844Major Aldrich and Lieutenant Collinson of the Royal Engineers Classical re-located to Stanley from Central
Flagstaff House 1846Colonial Central
remains of the Kowloon Walled City and Yamen Building1847 Kowloon
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong 1847Victorian Gothic Central
Bishop's House 1848Tudor Revival Central
Government House, Hong Kong 1855Charles St George CleverlyColonial / Japanese Central
Old Stanley Police Station 1859Victorian Stanley
University Hall (University of Hong Kong) 1861Tudor and Gothic Douglas Lapraik Pok Fu Lam
Central Police Station – Barracks block1864Colonial Central
Fat Tong Chau Old Chinese Customs Station1868Junk Island, Sai Kung
Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse 1875Cape D'Aguilar
Green Island Lighthouse Compound1875, 1905 Green Island, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Observatory 1883Colonial Tsim Sha Tsui
Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound 1884Colonial Tsim Sha Tsui
Lei Yue Mun Fort 1887 Lei Yue Mun
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Hong Kong) 1888Crawley and CompanyGothic Revival Mid-Levels
Old Dairy Farm Depot 1892Danby & LeighEclectic architectural Central
Waglan Lighthouse 1893
Old Tai Po Police Station 1899 Tai Po

Early 20th century

BuildingYear completedBuilderStyleSourceLocation
Ohel Leah Synagogue 1901–1902Colonial Sephardic Mid-levels
Former Kowloon British School 1902Victorian Tsim Sha Tsui
Gate Lodge 1902–1904Renaissance Victoria Peak
Old British Military Hospital 1903 Mid-Levels
Old Pathological Institute 1905 Mid-Levels
Western Market 1906Edwardian Central
St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon) 1906Victorian-Gothic Tsim Sha Tsui
Old District Office North 1907 Tai Po
Signal Hill Tower 1907 Tsim Sha Tsui
Clock Tower, Hong Kong 1910Greek-revival Tsim Sha Tsui
Central Police Station – HQ Block, Blocks A-D1910 Central
University of Hong Kong Main Building1910–1912 Leigh & Orange Mid-levels
Legislative Council Building 1912Sir Aston WebbNeo-Classical Central
Old Wan Chai Post Office 1912–1913Greek-revival Wan Chai
Former Central Magistracy 1913–1914Greek-revival Central
Elliot Hall, University of Hong Kong 1914Edwardian Mid-Levels
Ex-Commodore's House1914Neoclassicism Central
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum 1914Greek-revival Central
May Hall, University of Hong Kong 1915Edwardian Mid-Levels
The Main Building, The Helena May 1916 Central
Former French Mission Building 1917Neoclassical Central
Hung Hing Ying Building, the University of Hong Kong1919Neoclassical
North Block of St. Joseph's College 1920 Central
Old Kowloon Fire Station 1920 Tsim Sha Tsui
Main Building at St. Stephen's Girls' College 1923 Mid-Levels
Pedder Building 1923 Central
Sham Shui Po Police Station 1924 Sham Shui Po
Central Police Station Stable Block1925 Tsim Sha Tsui
West Block of St. Joseph's College 1925 Central
Yau Ma Tei Police Station 1925 Yau Ma Tei
The Church of Christ in China Hop Yat Church 合一堂1926 Tsim Sha Tsui
The Peninsula Hong Kong 1928 Tsim Sha Tsui
Tang Chi Ngong Building, the University of Hong Kong1929
Diocesan Boys' School 1929 Mongkok/ Ho Man Tin
Shum Residence (General House, Hip Wai House, & Shum Ancestral Hall)(上將府主樓)1932Mixed Fung Kat Heung, Kam Tin, Yuen Long, New Territories
Fanling Lodge 1934Public Works DepartmentMixed Fanling
The Haw Par Mansion 1935Chinese Renaissance Tai Hang
Tung Lin Kok Yuen 1935Chinese Renaissance Happy Valley
Morrison Building in Hoh Fuk Tong Centre 1936 Tuen Mun
King Yin Lei 1937A.R. Fenton-RayenChinese Renaissance Mid-Levels
Holy Trinity Cathedral 1937Chinese Traditional Kowloon City

Post-World War II

BuildingYear completedBuilderSourceLocation
Bank of China Building 1952 Central
City Hall, Hong Kong 1962 Central
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier 1957 Central
Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier 1957 Tsim Sha Tsui
Queen's Pier 1957Ron Phillips and Alan Fitch Central
Central Government Offices 1957 Central

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Center</span> Skyscraper in Hong Kong

The Center is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre, Central Plaza and Bank of China Tower. With a height of 346 m (1,135 ft), it comprises 73 storeys. The Center is one of the few skyscrapers in Hong Kong that is entirely steel-structured with no reinforced concrete core and is one of the tallest steel buildings in world. It is located on 99 Queen's Road Central in the Central, roughly halfway between the MTR Island line's Sheung Wan and Central stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Island</span> Second largest island in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of 16,390 per square kilometre (42,400/sq mi), as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central, Hong Kong</span> Central business district in Hong Kong

Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in the northeastern corner of the Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula. The area was the heart of Victoria City, although that name is rarely used today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray House</span> Building in Stanley, Hong Kong

Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2000s. This building has become an iconic landmark in Hong Kong. After housing the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, now in Stanley, it is now home to restaurants and shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Park</span> Public park in Central, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HSBC Building (Hong Kong)</span> Headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which is today a wholly owned subsidiary of London-based HSBC Holdings. It is located on the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong. The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down to make way for the current building. The address remains as 1 Queen's Road Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building</span> Building in Admiralty, Hong Kong

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building is the headquarters building of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, located on Lung Wui Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre</span> Building

The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre is located in Hong Kong Park, at 7A Kennedy Road above Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It was opened by Leung Ding-Bong, then chairman of the Urban Council, on 28 April 1992.

Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to receive the highest level of protection. In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong as well as the publication of the notice on the Hong Kong Government Gazette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong City Hall</span> Amenity building in Central, Hong Kong

Hong Kong City Hall is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Former French Mission Building</span> Monument in Hong Kong

The Former French Mission Building is a declared monument located on Government Hill at 1, Battery Path, Central, Hong Kong. It housed the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 1 July 1997 to 6 September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Hong Kong</span>

The architecture of Hong Kong features great emphasis on contemporary architecture, especially Modernism, Postmodernism, Functionalism, etc. Due to the lack of available land, few historical buildings remain in the urban areas of Hong Kong. Therefore, Hong Kong has become a centre for modern architecture as older buildings are cleared away to make space for newer, larger buildings. It has more buildings above 35m and more skyscrapers above 150m than any other city. Hong Kong's skyline is often considered to be the best in the world, with the mountains and Victoria Harbour complementing the skyscrapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950s in Hong Kong</span> Overview of Hong Kong-related events during the 1950s

The 1950s in Hong Kong began against the chaotic backdrop of the resumption of British sovereignty after the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong ended in 1945, and the renewal of the Nationalist-Communist Civil War in mainland China. It prompted a large influx of refugees from the mainland, causing a huge population surge: from 1945 to 1951, the population grew from 600,000 to 2.1 million. The government struggled to accommodate these immigrants. Unrest in China also prompted businesses to relocate their assets and capital from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Together with the cheap labour of the immigrants, the seeds of Hong Kong's economic miracle in the second half of the 20th century were sown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackhead Point</span> Cape in Hong Kong

Blackhead Point, also known as Tai Pau Mai indigenously, or by the names Tsim Sha Tsui Point and Signal Hill (訊號山), was a cape before any land reclamation took place in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It currently remains a small hill near the coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong</span>

The Victoria Barracks were a barracks in the Admiralty area of Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The barracks were constructed between the 1840s and 1874, and situated within the area bounded by Cotton Tree Drive, Kennedy Road and Queensway. Together with Murray Barracks, Wellington Barracks and Admiralty Dock, the barracks formed a British military zone in Central. The barracks was named for Queen Victoria, monarch at the time of construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kowloon British School</span> Declared monument in Hong Kong

The Kowloon British School was a school established in Hong Kong for the education of the children of expatriates at the turn of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Helena May main building</span>

The Helena May main building is a declared monument of Hong Kong home to the Helena May, a private member club located at No. 35 Garden Road, in Central of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The present-day building structure remains largely unchanged from its original building structure from 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensway Government Offices</span> Building in Admiralty, Hong Kong

The Queensway Government Office Building is a skyscraper located in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong near Admiralty station. The tower rises 56 floors and 199 metres (653 ft) in height. The building was completed in 1985. It was designed by Mr K.M. Tseng of the Architectural Services Department. The Queensway Government Offices, which stands as the 54th-tallest building in Hong Kong, is a Hong Kong government office building. The roof of the Queensway Government Office Building is adorned with a dragon logo, the symbol of Hong Kong; the structure was added in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's Building</span> Historic site in Central, Hong Kong

Queen's Building was a late 19th-century neoclassical building located in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Queen Victoria, it was situated to the west of Statue Square on Hong Kong Island's waterfront with Victoria Harbour at the time. It was demolished in 1963 and replaced with the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malvern College Hong Kong</span> International school, day school in Pak Shek Kok, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Malvern College Hong Kong is a British international school in Pak Shek Kok, Hong Kong, China. The school is an affiliate of Malvern College in Malvern, Worcestershire, United Kingdom.