Published on : 26/09/2024
"1881" in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui is a perfect place for shopping, photo shooting, or hotel accommodation today, but do you know it was once the Marine Police Headquarters a century ago?
Take a closer look, and you'll notice the revitalised complex has preserved many remnants, bearing witness to its historical footprint.
Marine Police Headquarters moved to Tsim Sha Tsui after a fire
In the early days of the establishment of the Hong Kong Marine Police, their headquarters was not on land, but was located on a giant cargo ship named "John Adam" (約翰亞當號).
This ship was originally used for transporting opium and was later sold to the British Hong Kong Government and converted into the Marine Police headquarters.
Why was the Marine Police Headquarters later moved to Tsim Sha Tsui?
The reason was that a fire broke out on the "John Adam", causing severe damage to the ship. Hence, in 1881, the British Hong Kong Government decided to build a new Marine Police Headquarters on the site of a disused fort in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The building was completed in 1884, initially two storeys high, and was later extended to three storeys in the 1920s. During the Japanese occupation period, the Marine Police Headquarters was occupied by the Japanese army as a command centre.
The former Marine Police Headquarters is composed of five groups of buildings, including the main building, stables, the Clock Tower (also known as round house), the Kowloon Fire Station, and the Fireman's Quarters.
The main building of the Marine Police Headquarters was designed in the Victorian era style. The three-storey towers in the southeast and southwest sides are dormitories for married staff, with the southwest and southeast towers being dormitories for the marine police commander and the chief inspector respectively.
An independent entrance is set up on the east side of the tower, which leads directly to the chief inspector's office, reception room, and dining room on the first floor.
The main building, located between the southwest and southeast towers, serves as the barracks, duty room, and control room. Adjacent buildings behind the main building housed facilities such as bath rooms and storage rooms.
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Time Ball Tower accurately signalled time for ships
Why does the former Marine Police Headquarters have a stable?
The former Marine Water Police Headquarters was built in the late 19th century, during which cars had not yet been introduced to Hong Kong. The main means of transportation for the residents here were rickshaws and sedan chairs.
Therefore, the stable of the Marine Police Headquarters was a dwelling place for the horses used by police officers for transportation. It turned into a garage when cars were introduced to Hong Kong in 1907.
The time ball tower is a distinctive building of the entire Marine Police Headquarters. It undertook an important task, which was to provide accurate time reporting for ships arriving from afar.
Due to traveling through different time zones and weather changes, ships coming from overseas often lose the accuracy of their astronomical clock onboard and usually required re-adjustment.
Before the time ball was introduced, time signals relied on cannon fire, but sound transmission was relatively slow, which often resulted in significant time discrepancies. The establishment of the time ball was a solution to this issue.
Since January 1, 1885, at the Marine Police Headquarters, except on Sundays and public holidays, a time ball would be manually raised to the top of the tower at 12:50 p.m. and dropped precisely at 1:00 p.m.
As a result, ships in the harbour could adjust their marine astronomical clocks based on when the ball was taken down.
The time reporting service of the time ball tower was extremely important to the commercial trading ships coming in and out of Hong Kong's port at that time, and played a significant role for Hong Kong as a trade port.
The time keeping role of the Marine Police Headquarters' time ball came to an end on December 7, 1907, when it was replaced by the new time ball tower on Signal Hill (訊號山) in Tsim Sha Tsui, which marked the end of its 20-year old historical mission.
In 1994, the Marine Police Headquarters was classified as a statutory monument and continued to be in use until 1996. The Marine Police Headquarters was then moved to its current location in Sai Wan Ho on Hong Kong Island.
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Shopping hotspot 1881 preserves its unique century-old historical relics
As for the deserted former Marine Police Headquarters, the Hong Kong Government turned it over to a private company for development through a commercial tender in 2003, with the condition that the original buildings must be preserved.
The development rights were eventually won by Cheung Kong Holdings, who converted the former Marine Police Headquarters into the heritage hotel "1881 Heritage" and some shops.
In 2009, the former Marine Police Headquarters was renamed "1881" after its restoration and revitalisation, becoming one of the landmarks for culture, tourism, and shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The current Shopping hotspot "1881" occupied approximately 130,000 square feet, featuring around 30 rooms in the heritage hotel, with each room preserving century-old fireplaces.
The original detention cells of the former Marine Police Headquarters have also been retained.
Besides, the time ball tower that was used to keep time for ships in the harbour has been reactivated. The ground of the square has been specially paved with a Hong Kong maritime map and a meridian line, serving as a reminder of Hong Kong's mission as a trading port for over 100 years through these historical relics.
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