History
Flagstaff House had been named as Headquarter House until 1932. There is some disagreement as to who designed it, but it was completed in 1846 and initially served as the military headquarters office and residence of the Commander of the British forces in Hong Kong. The site chosen was a small bluff above the barracks and above Queen's Road, then at the waterfront.
The building was designed in Greek revival style. Historians suspect it was designed either by Murdoch Bruce, a Scottish who was inspector of buildings, or by Lieutenant Bernard, collinson of the Sappers. The first occupant was Major-General George Charles D'Aguilar, General Officer Commanding from 1844 to 1846 who also held the post of Lieutenant Governor.
The west and east wings were shelled during the Japanese invasion, and it suffered bomb damage. The Japanese repaired it and the Commandant took the building as his residence during the occupation.
After the war, Flagstaff House was again the Commander's residence until 1978, when the Commander moved to a purpose built house on Barker Road. It was handed over by the military to the civilian Hong Kong Government as part of the surrender of Victoria Barracks. The Government put it under the responsibility of the Urban Council in 1981.
The building was declared a monument in 1989. It was restored as far as possible to its original mid-19th-century appearance, structurally reinforced, and the interior was to be modified so that it could be used as a museum.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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