The Former French Mission Building (Chinese:

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 前法國外方傳道會大樓) is a declared monument of Hong Kong

Declared monuments of Hong Kong

Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to be "protected". In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive as well as the publication of the notice in government gazette.As of 12...

. It is located at 1, Battery Path

Battery Path

Battery Path is a path beneath Government Hill, the centre of Hong Kong Government, in Central on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. The path begins at Queen's Road Central and ends in Garden Road. It leads to Central Government Offices, The Court of Final Appeal and St. John's Cathedral in...

, Central

Central, Hong Kong

Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...

. It currently houses the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

.

Features

Originally a mansion called Johnston House, the building was altered in the 1870s and 1880s to a three storey building.

The present three-storey building was built in 1917 after the previous structure was acquired in 1915. The building is probably based on a previous structure near the site known as "Beaconsfield", but it is clad in red brick rather than an all white facade. It is constructed in granite and red bricks in Neo-Classical

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 style, dating from the Edwardian period.

The building was onced used by HSBC

HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...

 and once home to the Russian Consulate.

The building is built on a podium due to the hilly area of Government Hill

Government Hill

The Government Hill is a hill in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, bounded by upper section of Upper Albert Road on the south, Queen's Road Central north, Garden Road east, and Glenealy west of Hong Kong Island....

.

History

The original structure on this site dated back to 1842.

The first Governor of Hong Kong

Governor of Hong Kong

The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...

, Sir Henry Pottinger resided there from 1843 to 1846. His successor, John Francis Davis

John Francis Davis

Sir John Francis Davis, 1st Baronet KCB was a British diplomat, Sinologist, and the 2nd Governor of Hong Kong. He was the son of Samuel Davis and nephew to William Thomas Mercer .-Early career:John Davis was appointed writer in East India Company's factory at Canton in 1813...

 also lived there for a while, before moving to Caine Road

Caine Road

Caine Road is a main road in Hong Kong connecting Bonham Road in the west and Arbuthnot Road and Upper Albert Road in the east ....

.
The building likely served as one of the earlier homes of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

.

The building then had several owners, and was acquired by the Missions Étrangères de Paris

Paris Foreign Missions Society

The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious order, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons dedicated to missionary work in foreign lands....

 in 1915. In 1917, they renovated it and added a chapel in the north-west corner, topped by a cupola. It was finally sold back to the Hong Kong Government in 1953.

It was used successively by the Education Department

Education and Manpower Bureau

The Education Bureau is responsible for education policies in Hong Kong.The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees the Secretariat, University Grants Committee and Student Financial Assistance Agencies...

, the Victoria

Victoria City

Victoria, Victoria City, or statutorily, the City of Victoria, was one of the first urban settlements in Hong Kong after it became a British colony in 1842. It was initially named Queenstown but was soon known as Victoria...

 District Court

District Court (Hong Kong)

The District Court is the lower court system in Hong Kong, having both criminal and civil jurisdictions. It is located in the Wanchai Law Courts, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road...

, the Supreme Court

Supreme Court (Hong Kong)

The Supreme Court was the highest court in Hong Kong prior to the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China in 1997 and heard cases of first instance and appeals from the District and Magisrates Courts as well as certain tribunals...

, and the Government Information Services

Information Services Department

The Information Services Department is the Hong Kong Government's public relations consultant, publisher, advertising agent and news agency. It is the link between the administration and the media...

. It is now used as the Court of Final Appeal until sometime after 2011 when the court will then move to the current Legislative Council Building

Legislative Council Building

The Legislative Council Building of Hong Kong, also called the Former Supreme Court Building , was the home of the former Supreme Court until 1985, when it was renamed and became home to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Members of the Council and the President have offices in this building...

, formerly the Supreme Court Building.

The building was declared a monument

Declared monuments of Hong Kong

Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to be "protected". In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive as well as the publication of the notice in government gazette.As of 12...

on September 14, 1989.