DK Travel : Hong Kong : Around Hong Kong Island : History & Culture

Colonial Street Names

Most colonial buildings have been sacrificed to new development, but the colonial legacy is preserved in many of the roads named after royals (Queen’s Road), politicians (Peel Street), military officers (D’Aguilar, Pedder) and public servants (Bonham, Des Voeux).
Duddell Street

While not spectacular, the gas lamps and old steps of Duddell Street date back to the 1870s.
Flagstaff House

Built in the mid-1840s, Flagstaff House is one of the oldest colonial buildings on the island and today houses the free teaware museum.
Former Military Hospital

Broken into separate units – some abandoned – the huge, grand old building between Bowen and Borrett roads used to serve as a Military Hospital.
George VI Statue

In the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the statue of King George VI was erected in 1941, to commemorate 100 years of British rule.
Hollywood Road Police Station

Bastions of colonial law and order, the Police Station and the old Victoria Prison still stand.
Legco Building

The elegant Neo-Classical Legislative building, completed in 1911, originally served as Hong Kong’s Supreme Court and now functions as Hong Kong’s would-be parliament.
Mission Etrangeres

The handsome former French Mission building (built 1917) is Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal, though that’s not an apt name given that the court has referred some legal wrangles to Beijing.
Old Letter Box

A few traditional green, cast-iron post boxes bearing the British Royal Cipher remain. There is one at the northern end of Statue Square.
St John’s Cathedral

It may resemble a parish church more than a cathedral but St John’s, completed in 1850, is the oldest Anglican church in east Asia.