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Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

author:A unique Aberdeen Diary

The Court of Final Appeal Building, located at 8 Bon Chan Road, Central, Hong Kong, was built in 1912 in a neoclassical style that blends the architectural features of the Far East, with a blindfolded statue of the Goddess of Justice holding a scale in her right hand and a sword in her left, representing the selflessness of the Grand Duke; The exterior of the building was declared a Monument of Hong Kong in 1984.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

In 2022

history

The Supreme Court of Hong Kong was located in the building at the junction of Wellington Street and Unham Street in 1844 and moved to a two-storey building at 7 Queen's Road, Central in 1848. With the completion of the seaside reclamation scheme in 1904 and the completion of the new reclamation area around Gloucester Road, a committee set up by the Governor of Hong Kong, William Robinson, proposed the construction of a new court and general post office building, and proposed to hold an open competition to invite architects to compete for the design, but the proposal was not accepted by the government and instead entrusted to experienced architects to design such important buildings, and finally entrusted the consultant architects of the Commonwealth Procurement Office, Ashton Weber and Ingress Bell) design.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

In 1899

Construction began at the end of 1899 , but difficulties were encountered as soon as construction began , workers had to remove the embankments of the original coastline , and piling work progressed slowly , with workers finally completing the piling project made of 1,447 fir trees in April 1903 , and the foundation laying ceremony was presided over on 12 November of the same year by the Governor of Hong Kong, Bu Li. The work was not completed until 1911 due to a lack of masonry and suitable granite. Since the English word "Court" is pronounced similarly to the Cantonese word "Ge", the Supreme Court Building is also commonly known as "Da Ge Lou".

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building was changed to the headquarters of the Hong Kong Gendarmerie Department, and facilities such as interrogation rooms were built. The exterior of the building was listed as a Grade I Historic Building in Hong Kong in 1980 and declared a Monument in 1984. The Executive Council passed in 1983 by converting the old High Court into the Legislative Council Building.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

After the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the original Legislative Council Building was renamed the Legislative Council Building with the relocation of the Provisional Legislative Council

Tsang announced in April 2009 that the Government had decided to transfer the Legislative Council building to the Judiciary as the new site of the Court of Final Appeal after the Legislative Council moved to the new site of tamar.

On 20 August 2015, the Judiciary introduced a new logo designed with the front view of the Court of Final Appeal building and announced that the Court of Final Appeal building was officially opened at 9:00 a.m. on 7 September.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

characteristic

The Court of Final Appeal building is in the neoclassical architectural style, modeled on the architectural design of ancient Rome and Greece, and is supported by Ionian and Doric columns, forming a colonnade on the ground floor and around the first floor. The design of the building symbolizes order and fairness, and all doors and windows are distributed between the pillars and are symmetrical. In order to adapt to the climate of Hong Kong, the building has a wide balcony, which is enough to prevent sunlight from penetrating directly into the room, providing heat dissipation.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

The top of the building blends Chinese and Western architectural features, with the central dome occupying a major position in the exterior of the building, supported by a double-layered steel frame and truss internal structure, built on a granite square base, decorated with minarets at all four ends. The domed tower at the highest point of the building is inlaid with a bronze Tudor crown sculpture, a crown adopted by King Edward VII in 1902. On the north and south sides of the building, there are two Chinese-style gold roofs, which are laid with Chinese two-layer tiles to prevent leakage during the rainy season, and the entire roof is supported by beautifully carved traditional Chinese teak brackets and steel T-shaped brackets. The building is built of local granite and the central portico facing Queen's Square is partially decorated with triangular friezes and inscribed with the inscription "Erected AD MDCCCCX" (erected in 1910 AD), flanked by an engraved "E" and "R" with a ring, abbreviated as "Edward Rex", symbolizing that the building was built during the reign of King Edward VII.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

The frieze is topped with a royal shield ornament designed for the British national emblem: three lions are engraved on the upper left and lower right, representing England; A lion in the upper right represents Scotland; The harp in the lower left represents Ireland. The coat of arms is protected by an English lion and a Scottish unicorn, with a crown carved at the top and the inscription "DIEU ET MON DROIT" (I have the right to heaven) of the supreme ruler. Leaning on the royal shield emblem is flanked by a statue, to the left is Veritas, the god of truth; Greek: Βέριτας) statue with Clementia, god of mercy, on the right; Greek: Έλεος).

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

Topped by the triangular frieze stands a 2.7-metre-high statue of the goddess Thames, representing righteousness, holding a scale representing justice in her right hand and a sword symbolizing power in her left. The statue is blindfolded, symbolizing the impartiality and impartiality of the spirit of the law.

other

The goddess Themis, who is very famous and eye-catching in Hong Kong TV dramas , is one of the most high-profile locations in Hong Kong TV dramas. For example, the following TVB dramas that are very familiar: "No. 1 Royal Court" Series, "Third Type Court", "Legal Newcomer King", "Legal Affairs 2002" and so on.

The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal building is a more Hong Kong-specific punch card tourist spot.

Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Building

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