The Signal Tower at the Signal Hill Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui

The Signal Tower at the Signal Hill Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui

The Signal Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui has an inseverable relationship with the Former Marine Police Headquarters (now 1881 Heritage). The small hill of Blackhead Point lies in a nondescript location in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui. To my surprise, a short walk up there gave me an incredible sense of peace and serenity amidst the hustle bustle of one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping districts.

The Signal Tower of 1907

The Signal Tower served the role of time telling for the marine traffic of the Victoria Harbour during the early 20th century. The time ball located within the tower was the very original one that was placed in the Round House (Time Ball Tower) of the Former Marine Police Headquarters (now 1881 Heritage).

“The time-ball service was crucial for mariners for the purpose of setting their chronometers before the advent of reliable radio broadcasting.” The Time Ball Tower of the Former Marine Police Headquarters served this function between 1885 and 1907. However, due to the developments around the Former Marine Police Headquarters, it was thought that another location must be sought for the purpose of telling accurate time. The small hill of Blackhead Point was thought to be appropriate as it has a higher altitude. It is also at a location overlooking the Victoria Harbour, which was then within sight of the hill.

As I have discussed in the entry on 1881 Heritage before, the time ball would drop every day promptly at 1pm. The diameter of the time ball is 6 feet, it is a hollow ball made in copper.  The time ball was raised by hand to the top of the mast, then released automatically at 1pm. Beginning in 1920, the time ball was raised and dropped every day at exactly 10am and 4pm.

This time-ball service at the Signal Hill began in 1907 and the Signal Tower stepped down from its historic role in 1933. In 2015, it earned the status as a Declared Monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

The Architectural Features of the Signal Tower

As a colonial era edifice, the Signal Tower is beautiful. “It was built to a heavy Classical Baroque design incorporating Edwardian decorative features of the times, which combined red brickwork with contrasting light color stone architectural features. It is also a square shaped building with elegant chamfered corners, as compared to the usual square corners.” These red bricks were English-made, and the granite details were locally-carved.

Speaking of English brickwork, this aspect of the Signal Tower reminds me of the red brick Staff Quarter Block of the Old Tai Po Police Station and the District Office (North). These two structures are also Declared Monuments that were contemporaneous with the Signal Tower.

The Signal Hill Garden

To find the entrance of the Signal Hill Garden, on Middle Road right outside of the Tsim Sha Tsui East MTR Station Exit K, across the street lies a short set of stairs. Pass through these stairs and the entrance to the Signal Hill Garden is on your right, next to the garbage disposal station.

The walk up takes about 5-8 minutes only. It is not a rigorous climb at all. Because the Signal Tower is not open for public touring, you may just sit around the benches and admire its architecture. Further up lies a proper garden with some benches overlooking the Victoria Harbour. You can spend about as much time as you like there. The touring should take just about 20 minutes.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Signal Hill Garden.