JOYCE NGjoyce.ng@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 19 September, 2015, 3:39am
UPDATED : Saturday, 19 September, 2015, 3:39am
Top judge Geoffrey Ma hails the move to the "symbol of rule of law". Photo: Sam Tsang
Historic features buried for decades under the former Legislative Council building were uncovered during the project to restore it as Hong Kong's highest court.
They included a "bridge of sighs", along which defendants were led from their cells to the courtrooms.
The Court of Final Appeal moved back into the imposing granite building in Jackson Road, Central, on September 7.
Introducing his new office to the media yesterday, Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li said he was glad to move back to the site, built in 1912 to house the former Supreme Court.
"Moving back is of great significance to the courts, and also of significance to the Hong Kong community because this monumental building is a symbol of rule of law in Hong Kong," he said.
The building also served as the headquarters of the Japanese military police during the occupation of the city between 1942 and 1945. Legco took it over in 1985 before moving to the Tamar site in 2011.
The government has spent HK$464 million on the renovation, which took four years to complete. The focus has been on the interior rather than the exterior, which is a declared monument.
The court now houses two courtrooms.
Chung Ming-cheong, senior architect of the Architectural Services Department, said the "bridge of sighs" was concealed behind new walls and false ceilings during Legco's time and was filled with ventilation pipes.
With the original staircase demolished, the top landing is now the only old feature still intact.
The bridge has been reconstructed and the public will have a chance to walk on it during future guided tours when the court is not sitting.
"A challenge of the restoration was that we had little historical information on the original layout. We could only find two photos of the interior, and they are from the British National Archives," Chung said.
Other restored features were the basement, now a gallery, parts of the teak wood floor, and two detention cells that now form part of the library.
Over the years the building has been the subject of wild rumours, such as lawmakers claiming bugging devices had been installed in their office, and people being killed there during the Japanese occupation.
But Chung said he had found no such devices or heard anything unusual throughout the restoration process.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1859623/hidden-secrets-discovered-under-hong-kongs-highest-court-during
