Former French Mission Building

Located on Government Hill at 1 Battery Path, Central

A declared monument

housed the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 1 July 1997 to 6 September 2015

Three-storey building of Neo-Classical style

Constructed in granite and red bricks

Interior design:

• Wooden staircase

• Vaulted ceilings

• Ornate columns

1842 - completed and named as “Johnston’s House”, with two storeys

1843 to 1846 – Sir Henry Pottinger resided there

1846 to 1848 - Used as temporary accommodation for the Supreme Court

1860 - Expanded into a three-storey building

1882 - Renamed “Beaconsfield”

1897 to 1911 - Leased by the government for use as different offices

1915 - Renamed “French Mission Building”

1941 to 1945 - Occupied by Japanese Army

1945 to 1997 - various usages during this period, for example:

• temporary headquarters of the government

• offices for various government departments

• Victoria District Court

• Supreme Court

1989 - Declared a monument

Provided to law-related organisations to facilitate their setting up and developing services in Hong Kong

Interior is not open to public