Historic CPS

Dating back to the mid-19th Century, the site is home to some of the earliest structures to be built under colonial rule and has grown to a cluster of buildings sitting in a single prime location in the heart of the city. Its significance was recognised in 1995 when the Central Police Station, the Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison were designated as Declared Monuments.

Among the buildings in the walled compound are the site’s earliest dateable remaining structure (D Hall), which was a prison building erected in 1858; the Central Magistracy which was constructed between 1912 and 1914 and opened for its first judicial sessions in 1915 as a symbol of the power of the court; and the Police Headquarters Block which was completed in 1919 and widely recognised as the public facade of the CPS.

Over time, the site witnessed extensions, additions and alterations – all which echoed the political and social changes faced by Hong Kong.