Audio guide introduction: 4 minute 08 seconds
The former Kowloon Fire Station dormitories are classified as historical buildings by the Hong Kong government. When visiting 1881, in addition to visiting famous shops, don’t miss the police force, astronomical and military relics.
The main building of the former Marine Police Headquarters was built in the early 1880s. It is a tower that combines Victorian colonial design and neoclassical architecture. The entire floor of the main building (except for the cells) is raised to three to four feet above the ground, and the space under the floor is equipped with vents designed with Chinese patterns to promote air circulation and reduce underground moisture that can cause damage to the wooden floor. The risk of corruption in Taiwan. The vents also help lower the room temperature, and the extra-high floors keep the interior cool. It is an environmentally friendly building in the 19th century.
Next to the main building, there is a two-story Chinese-style tile-roofed building. The former Ma'an Building is currently rented by a bar. At the end of the 19th century, the Hong Kong police still used horses for transportation. As the name suggests, the stables were used to house the horses used by the police at that time. Later, the stables were converted into garages. The windows in the back row of the front stables are set at a higher position than normal, mainly to meet the needs of the "big horses" in the stables. In front of the horse stables, a granite pier remains on the original site among the flowers to mark the position where the top of the ramp at the former Canton Road entrance turned into the main entrance of the Marine Police Headquarters. The ramp was the only entrance and exit to the Marine Police Headquarters at that time. It was later razed due to the government's need to widen Canton Road. However, the history of the stone wall was not lost due to road expansion. The giant stones of the ancient stone wall were carefully dismantled and numbered, and then rebuilt according to the order of the original stone wall to become the current stone wall on Kowloon Park Path.
Entering the inner garden of the main building from the side of the stables, you will see three hut-shaped boxes hanging on the wall of the main building. These are the real "pigeon holes" - pigeon houses. Information shows that there were indeed carrier pigeons living in the Marine Police building at that time. These carrier pigeons were assisting in transmitting messages between the Marine Police headquarters and Marine Police vessels at sea. It is said that these carrier pigeons "absconded" during World War II when the Japanese army occupied the Marine Police Headquarters. They only returned to their "posts" after the Japanese army retreated. Although there are no longer any homing pigeons here, the three former pigeon lofts remain intact to commemorate the contribution of these homing pigeons.
I believe the most eye-catching things in 1881 are the rapid-fire cannon placed in front of the main building and the time ball tower with a ball on the roof. These facilities at the Marine Police Headquarters are not actually used for military purposes, but are used to report time and typhoons. Use. Since the Hong Kong Observatory is located on a hill slightly far away from the coast, to announce information to the public, especially the harbor, the Marine Police Headquarters was located on the coast. At that time, the Marine Police Headquarters had a view of more than XNUMX degrees of sea area, so that it could be easily accessible within the harbor. Ships in every corner can see the ball tower telling time and receiving typhoon news.
Walking to the other side of the main building that less people pay attention to, you can see an Indian-style balcony when you look up. This balcony with an all-cast iron structure is very rare in Hong Kong. The cast-iron supports can be seen at the bottom of the balcony. Since the British ruled Hong Kong, Hong Kong's disciplined forces have been composed of members of different nationalities. Therefore, the Marine Police Headquarters has provided special needs for personnel of different races. In addition to Indian balconies, there are independent kitchens, canteens and other religious facilities. Meet the needs of multiculturalism. Another historical building included in 1881 is the red brick building next to the square - the former Kowloon Fire Station. In the early days, this fire station was in charge of the entire Kowloon. It had only one captain and 30 firefighters stationed there. In XNUMX It was moved away after the XNUMXs and was used by different government departments. Until now, it was acquired by Cheung Kong Group and became an optical shop.