Description of the attraction
Murray House is a Victorian building located in Stanley Harbor. Built in the Central business district in 1844 as an officer's barracks by the royal engineers Major Aldrich and Lieutenant Collins, the building was relocated south of Hong Kong Island in the 2000s.
Murray House has become one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Hong Kong. Like many of his contemporaries at the beginning of the colonial era, it was designed in a classical style. The heavy stone walls with open arches on the ground floor are supposed to give a sense of stability, while the light Doric and Ionic columns on the upper floors are meant to provide better ventilation. All floors have circular verandas required in the local subtropical climate.
During the forty-four months of the Japanese occupation, the building was used as a command center for the military police. A dark page in the history of the Murray house of this period is the execution of Chinese citizens within the walls of the building and in the surrounding area. After World War II, several government departments used the building as offices.
It is believed that restless unkind spirits live in Murray's house; exorcisms were performed here twice - in 1963 and in 1974; the latter being broadcast on television. Since it was a government agency, a formal treaty was drawn up on behalf of the government to cast out demons.
In 1982, the historic site was subject to demolition in connection with the construction of the Bank of China Tower. But it was taken apart, more than 3,000 building blocks were marked and archived for later restoration. The building was refurbished in 2001 at Stanley Bay and reopened in 2002.
The first floor of Murray's house was given over to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum in 2005, which held him for about 8 years. Now the old building houses a restaurant and shops.
