The building of Former Kowloon British School is located 136, Nathan Road

Nathan Road, Hong Kong

Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with tourists, and was known in the post-World War II years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used...

, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...

, Kowloon

Kowloon

Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population 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...

.

History

It is the oldest surviving school building which is constructed for children of overseas parents living in Hong Kong. In 1900, Mr. Ho Tung (later Sir Robert) donated $15,000 to the Government to set up a school in Kowloon. The building was officially opened by the Governor, Blake

Henry Arthur Blake

Sir Henry Arthur Blake GCMG, DL was a British colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903.-Early life and career:...

 on 19 April 1902.

The school was officially opened as a primary school for some 60 pupils but it was converted to be a secondary school for some 300 students in the mid 1930s.

The building is a typical Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 structure, but was modified to adapt to local climatic conditions by adding wide verandas, high ceilings and pitched roofs.

The Family Welfare Asscoiation and Tsim Sha Tsui Kaifong Association had used the building after the Second World War. It now houses the Antiquities and Monuments Office

Antiquities and Monuments Office

Antiquities and Monuments Office was established when the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was enacted in 1976, to preserve Hong Kong's monuments under appropriate protection....

 after restoration.

It is "declared 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...

" since 19 July 1991.

See also

• King George V School
  King George V School
  King George V School , often shortened to "KGV" is a co-educational international secondary independent school of the English Schools Foundation, located in the Ho Man Tin area of Hong Kong. Currently school 1,700 students in the Kowloon peninsula, it is one of the oldest schools in Hong Kong,...
  
  : the former Kowloon British School is forerunner of this school.