Occupying the only freehold land in Hong Kong. St John’s Anglican Cathedral is one of the few structures to survive the frenzy of construction that took place in Hong Kong’s first decade as a colony of the British crown; much evidence of which was quickly erased by catastrophic typhoons and by a restless desire to build afresh.

Inaugurated in 1849. the cathedral’s only predecessor from that period is Flagstaff House (1846). now the Tea Museum in Hong Kong Park. London architect Hardwick envisaged St John’s in Gothic Revival mode, but later adapted the design to conform with the empire style popular with churches of the Victorian era. Considerable modifications were necessitated by a reduced budget and limitations of local workmanship. The total bill for construction was £8.736. The tower was added in 1850 and the chancel substantially expanded in 1873.

The cathedral suffered the humiliation of being turned into a social club by Japanese occupation forces during World War II. when the tower was pierced by a shell and it lost its stained glass windows, polished altars and choir stalls. Since its restoration, it has steadily become a church of the people, rather than the privileged assembly of Hong Kong’s elite it had previously tended to be.

On 11 March 1997 celebrations led by the Dean of St John’s. The Very Reverend Christopher Phillips, marked the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of that day when, for the first time, pioneer settlers of Hong Kong gathered for worship under a solid roof instead of a temporary matshed.

Where once it overlooked a military parade ground symbolizing the panoply of imperial power, today it stands as a quiet retreat in a green oasis at Hong Kong’s heart, straddling the seat of government and the fount of commerce.

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