St John's Cathedral

In front of you, ringed by bank towers, is the Anglican St John's Cathedral. It looks small, but it is the oldest surviving Western religious building in Hong Kong and the oldest Anglican church in the Far East.

1A church for the colony

Governor John Francis Davis laid the foundation stone in 1847, and the first service was held on 11 March 1849. Its style is a plain English Gothic, adapted to the heat with thick walls. On the tower you'll see the letters «VR», for Queen Victoria, and the arms of Governors Davis and Bonham.

The site has one oddity: it is the only freehold land in Hong Kong. The rest of the city is held on leases.

2The war

On Christmas morning 1941, while the shelling went on, the chaplain held a service here for about a hundred worshippers. During the Japanese occupation the cathedral was turned into a social club and many fittings were lost, including the original stained-glass windows. The first service after the arrival of the Royal Navy was held on 9 September 1945.

It's said the doors were made from the timbers of HMS Tamar, but a 2016 newspaper investigation showed that this is not true.

3What to look for

• The «VR» inscription and the coats of arms on the tower.
• The Celtic cross in the garden, which in 1952 replaced the original cross damaged during the occupation.
• The contrast with the Bank of China and HSBC towers peeking out behind.