Concept

Murray House

Summary
Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2000s. This building has become an iconic landmark in Hong Kong. After housing the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, now in Stanley, it is now home to restaurants and shops. Murray House was one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Hong Kong. Similar to many of its contemporaries from the early colonial era, it was designed in Classical architecture style. The heavy stone walls (with flat arched opening) are on the ground floor to give a sense of stability, while the lighter Doric and Ionic columns are on the floors above to allow better ventilation. All floors have verandas on all sides in response to the local subtropical/monsoons climate. Murray House was built in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks during the early years of British rule. It was named after Sir George Murray, the British Master-General of the Ordnance at the time. The designer and constructor were Major Edward Aldrich and Lieutenant Thomas Bernard Collinson of the Royal Engineers. During the 44-month Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building was used as the command centre by the Japanese military police. It was also the execution place for some Chinese citizens. After World War II, several government departments used the building as offices, including the Rating and Valuation Department, starting in 1965. The building was believed to be haunted and was exorcised twice. One of the exorcism ceremonies was held in 1963, the other one was held in 1974 and was televised. Since it was a government building, the Government granted permission for the exorcism to be performed. In 1982, the historical landmark was dismantled to yield to the new Bank of China Tower. Over 3,000 building blocks were labelled and catalogued for future restoration. In 1990, the Housing Department proposed the resurrection of the building in Stanley.
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