Over the years, the Court of Final Appeal Building has housed many parts of Hong Kong’s government. It was originally the home of the Supreme Court (from 1912 to 1983), and then was briefly taken over by the Legislative Council (1985 to 2011) before the Court of Final Appeal moved in in 2015.
But those without a court career will be most familiar with the building due to its eye-catching, stately facade. A legacy of Hong Kong’s colonial history, the structure was the first British court building to be built in Asia, completed even before the Supreme Court Building in Washington in the USA. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, two British architects who were responsible for a number of important pieces of architecture, including the eastern side of Buckingham Palace and part of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
