Former Central Police Station Compound, Central

One of the few surviving 19th-century police stations in Hong Kong, the former Central Police Station Compound was the headquarters for law enforcement until the Second World War. A few years after the war, it became the Regional Headquarters for Hong Kong Island, while remaining as the police station for Central district. It was decommissioned and released for adaptive reuse in December 2004. The former Central Police Station Compound, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison Compound have been revitalised as ‘Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts’ and opened to the public in 2018.

The dominant structures in the compound are the Barrack Block (1864) and the Police Headquarters Block (1919). With a neo-classical facade that overlooked a parade ground, the Barrack Block was designed on the same principles as a British military barracks and provided accommodation for 200 single constables and both single and married sergeants. A storey was later added to the block in 1905. Inside, the heavy granite staircases and floors are particularly impressive. Such design elements as verandahs and ventilation grilles in the high ceilings are architectural adaptations to Hong Kong’s sub-tropical climate.

The Police Headquarters Block contained offices and officers’ rooms and is notable for its imposing and ornate facade fronting Hollywood Road. Double-storey Doric order columns stand at the verandahs. The letters ‘G’ and ‘R’ engraved at the centre of the building refer to the reigning monarch, George Rex, or King George V. These and other features suggest the power and authority of the institution housed within.

The former Central Police Station Compound, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison Compound form a group of historic buildings, representing law and order in Hong Kong.

The former Central Police Station Compound was declared a monument in 1995.

Introduction to the Former Central Police Station Compound