Flagstaff House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flagstaff House |
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旗桿屋
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Flagstaff house
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Greek revival style |
| Location | Central |
| Address | 10 Cotton Tree Drive |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Current tenants | Museum of Tea Ware |
| Completed | 1846 |
| Owner | Hong Kong Government |
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Declared Monument of Hong Kong
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| Designated: | 14 September 1989 |
| Reference #: | 36 |
| Flagstaff House | |||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 旗桿屋 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 旗杆屋 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Museum of Tea Ware | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 茶具文物館 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 茶具文物馆 | ||||||||||||||||
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Flagstaff House is a very old building in Hong Kong. It was built in 1846. This makes it the oldest Western-style building still standing there. You can find it at 10 Cotton Tree Drive in Central. It is inside Hong Kong Park.
For a long time, Flagstaff House was the home of the leader of the British military in Hong Kong. This was during the time when Hong Kong was a British colony. Today, Flagstaff House has a new purpose. It is now home to the Museum of Tea Ware.
Contents
Discovering Flagstaff House
A Look Back: Its History
Flagstaff House was not always called by its current name. Until 1932, it was known as Headquarter House. The building was placed on a small hill. This hill was above the barracks and Queen's Road. Back then, Queen's Road was right by the water.
Early Days and Design
The building was designed in a style called Greek revival. This means it looked like ancient Greek temples. Experts believe it was designed by Murdoch Bruce. He was an inspector of buildings from Scotland. Another possible designer was Lieutenant Bernard Collinson. He was from the Royal Engineers. The first person to live in Flagstaff House was Major-General George Charles D'Aguilar. He was the General Officer Commanding from 1844 to 1846. He also held the job of Lieutenant Governor.
War and Changes
During the Second World War, Hong Kong was invaded by Japan. The west and east sides of Flagstaff House were hit by bombs. The building was damaged during the Battle of Hong Kong. The Japanese military fixed the building. Their commander then used it as his home during the occupation.
After the war, Flagstaff House became the Commander's home again. This lasted until 1978. The Commander then moved to a new house on Barker Road. The military gave Flagstaff House to the Hong Kong Government. This was part of taking back the Victoria Barracks. In 1981, the Government gave the building to the Urban Council.
Becoming a Museum
The building was officially named a monument in 1989. This means it is a very important historical site. It was carefully fixed to look like it did in the mid-1800s. Its structure was made stronger. The inside was changed so it could become a museum.
The Museum of Tea Ware
In 1984, Flagstaff House became the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. It is a part of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. This museum focuses on collecting, studying, and showing teaware.
What You Can See
The museum has many examples of Yixing teapots. These special teapots come from Jiangsu in China. The museum also has what is believed to be the world's oldest known teapot!
A new part of the museum was built in 1995. It is called the K.S. Lo Gallery. This gallery is named after Dr. Kwee Seong Lo. He was a local collector and the founder of Vitasoy. He gave a large collection of items to the city in the 1970s. This gift is now the main part of the museum's collection. The new gallery displays many ceramics and Chinese seals.
