Murray Barracks () was a
barracks
Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
for the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
garrisoned in
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
,
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. It was named after
Sir George Murray
Sir George Murray (6 February 1772 – 28 July 1846) was a British soldier and politician from Scotland.
Background and education
Murray was born in Perth, Scotland, the second son of Sir William Murray, of Ochtertyre, 5th Baronet (see Murra ...
, the
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...
at the time of construction.
Location
It was situated between present
Garden Road and
Cotton Tree Drive
Cotton Tree Drive () is a road running from Central to Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.
The road is famous for the Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry, a hotspot for marriage registration inside Hong Kong Park. It used to be known as Ka ...
. The Barracks was located at present
Asia Pacific Centre and the Officer's Quarters, also known as Officer's Mess, was located at present
Bank of China Tower, close to
Queen's Road, (present-day
Queensway). Across Garden Road was Murray Parade Ground () and Queen's Road North Barracks, which was later known as
Wellington Barracks
Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...
.
Further west of the parade ground, behind
Battery Path
Battery Path () is a pedestrian-only footpath located beneath Government Hill in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Murray Battery, it stretches from Queen's Road Central to Garden Road. The path is noted for many historical landmarks situated ...
, stood the
Murray Battery
Murray Battery was an artillery battery located on Battery Path, beneath Government Hill in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Sir George Murray, it was built in 1841, shortly after the British took possession of Hong Kong, and served to protect ...
.
Officer's Quarter
The quarter was known as Officer's Mess in the early days of Hong Kong. It was later renamed
Murray House
Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2 ...
. Before the construction of Bank of China Tower, Murray House was dismantled brick-by-brick in the mid-1980s and later rebuilt in Stanley.
See also
*
Osborne Barracks
Kowloon East Barracks (), formerly Osborn Barracks (), is a People's Liberation Army facility, and was a British Army facility, in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong. Located in the northern part of Kowloon on Waterloo Road and Junction Road (ac ...
*
Murray Road
Murray Road () is a road in Hong Kong. It is sometimes considered a boundary between Admiralty and Central. Along with a few other places in the area, it was named after Sir George Murray, a soldier and politician from Scotland.
Notable building ...
*
Murray Building
The Murray Hong Kong was a government office building on 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong. It has 27 stories and housed some of the key decision making bureaus of the Hong Kong government.
The building was auctioned off for re-dev ...
*
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong comprised the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines) and Royal Air Force stationed in British Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong also assumed the position of the commander-in-c ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Central and Western Heritage Trail – Old Site of Murray Parade Ground
Military of Hong Kong under British rule
Admiralty, Hong Kong
Central, Hong Kong
Barracks in Hong Kong
Former buildings and structures in Hong Kong
Parade grounds