The decommissioned compound has left us with numerous historical signages, which play an important role in unfolding the site’s stories. The “Look Left Look Right: Historical Signage” exhibition in June 2020 displayed a number of old signages behind glass showcases, but in fact there are still many of them having returned to their original locations. Join us for a journey to search for historical signages around the site!
Before 1979, Tai Kwun was a one-stop compound of law and order, consisting of a police station, magistracy and prison. In the 1980s, the colonial government put an end to the “touch-base policy”, which allowed people from the Mainland to obtain Hong Kong residency by touching base with their local relatives living in urban areas. The Victoria Immigration Centre was set up after this policy was abolished in order to process and remand overstaying persons awaiting repatriation. Offices of this immigration centre were located in several different buildings around the site. The door sign outside the current Old Bailey Gate indicates the centre’s old opening hours.
From its construction to decommissioning, Barrack Block has long served as a venue for off-duty life of police officers. Apart from a canteen, also called the NCOs Mess, changing room and recreation room, the block also housed the barracks as hinted by its name. Barracks are rooms where each officer has his or her own locker and a place to get changed or to rest. In the old days, the Central Barrack Rooms on this floor were equipped with bunk beds so that officers with morning duty after a night shift could take a break. The “N.C.O.S.” here means Non-Commissioned Officers.
Despite the ongoing conservation work, the number “1” signage painted on the granite outside Block 04, the building in front of you, is still visible. In fact, there are still other similar numbers painted around the Central Police Station, mostly on the exterior of buildings. These numbers were related to a system to defend against attacks. In the old days, if the station was under attack, officers on duty would quickly obtain equipment from the armoury and get ready at the corresponding location according to numbers. Retired officers said a real attack has never happened, but drills would take place every now and then to make sure officers had knowledge of how the system worked. Are you able to find the other numbers around the station?
For a period in the past, the area behind you, between Block 04 and 06, had been used as a car park for small vehicles, and was visible when viewed from the Arbuthnot Road roundabout. With Pottinger Street as one of the main entrances of the old Central Police Station, most vehicles and people took this ramp up the Parade Ground. This “Look Left, Look Right” signage was painted for drivers, reminding drivers and people coming out from the quarters (Block 06) to be aware of vehicles and passengers coming up or down the ramp.
This red brick building next to you is the Central Magistracy. Built in 1914, it was eventually decommissioned in 1979, making it the earliest structure in the compound to halt its original function. The building was then used for other purposes, including the Supreme Court Annex right after 1979 and office of The International Arbitration Centre later. Disciplinary forces had also used spaces here as the venue of social clubs. The acrylic signage here shows the direction of the then Police Civilian Staff Club, once located on the ground floor of the building. It is also because of these different functions that most of the interior settings of the former courtrooms were removed years ago.
Central Magistracy was originally built with two courtrooms on the ground floor, which is one floor above this basement level. A unique setting of this courthouse is the staircase built to connect the courtrooms with the holding cells on basement level. Persons awaiting trial would be kept in the holding cells, and when it was their turn to attend the hearing, they would be brought along the staircase right next to the cell to the defendant’s dock above, meaning the defendant would not have to be seen being escorted in the open area. The signage here indicates the entrance to the old basement holding cells. You can visit the Heritage Storytelling Space on this floor to learn more about this special architectural feature.
The gate in front of you now leads to back-of-house area of Tai Kwun. When the site was in active operation, the gate was a point where illegal immigrants were repatriated. In the 1980s, Victoria Immigration Centre was set up in this compound, persons violating the Immigration Ordinance were processed and remanded here. Individuals were escorted through Rear Gate to leave the prison area before repatriation. This gate also served as the point of separation between Central Police Station and Victoria Prison. There was once a wooden locker located right behind this gate, where officers had to leave their personal belongings before stepping into prison area for duties due to security reasons.
Over the last years of Victoria Prison’s active service, inmates were mostly remand prisoners who were not obligated to perform prison industrial work. Yet inmates had to share the daily chores inside prison as a common practice. Duties including laundry and cleaning were usually done by remand prisoners. This notice board here was used to mark the inmates in charge of each type of work every day. The area next to this semi-open Lower E Hall, currently known as the Laundry Steps, was the location of laundry workshop back then.