hullett house hong kong
Given the speed with which Hong Kong’s colonial buildings have been torn down, it’s fortunate that the old British marine police headquarters survived at all. The 19th-century white-stucco structure had been neglected for more than a decade. Most visitors to the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui area probably did not notice its elegant curving staircase entrance, set back from the neon and noise of Salisbury Road. Late last year the complex, known as 1881 Heritage (1881heritage.com), began reopening in stages, first with a few luxury shops. The main building, Hullett House (hulletthouse.com) now has a number of restaurants, a bar and a boutique hotel that opened last month. Perhaps most impressively, the renovation has been done with care.
The site is not a museum, but it is true to its architectural and historical past. The Moreton Bay fig trees in the garden were first brought to the former colony by visiting seamen. Details in Hullett House, like floor boards and door frames, have been retained from the original structure. Stables Grill CQ is situated in a space where, indeed, horses were once kept. As a reminder of the darker elements of the city’s colonial past, jail cells make up part of the interior of the Mariner’s Rest bar. More pleasant is the veranda of The Parlour, where you can have a champagne brunch on the weekends.
The hotel has gone for quality over quantity, with only 10 suites. Each has its own balcony and a design theme linked to a period of local history.
Hullett House is not exactly a budget destination — the fine dining restaurant, St. George, is priced right up there with top French restaurants in town — but 1881 Heritage does offer free 20-minute tours (daily, at 2 and 4 p.m.), which you can book online. You can also just wander in.
Even without paying for luxury shopping or dining, a visitor can get a taste of the way things once were.
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