Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre — Attraction in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center is located in the middle of Kowloon Park in two of the old Whitfield Barracks which occupied this location in the 20th century prior to the creation of the park. This heritage building is now the location of a pretty good little museum and information centre covering the topic of Hong Kong archeological history. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm daily (closed on Thursdays). Entry is free.

What you will find here are a main gallery describing general archeology and heritage sites around Hong Kong as well as three smaller galleries with a focus on artefacts from the Pre-historic times, Han and Ming Dynasties. There are interesting human remains, pottery, tools and other items of interest from these various time periods as well as helpful information description what you are seeing and where the discoveries were found or unearthed around Hong Kong.

The Discovery Centre now has a small exhibition setup to describe the damage to the old Duddell Street gas lamps that occurred during Super Typhoon Mangkut as well as the restoration efforts that went into restoring this popular historic attraction on Hong Kong Island. There is also a nice outside courtyard area and you'll find maps and brochures related to important heritage and archeology sites and related self-guided tours you can try around Hong Kong.

In the end, while less important than the Hong Kong History Museum in TST East and Hung Hum area, the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre is a great use of the historic Whitfield Barracks and good place to spend a 20-30 minutes if planning to spend time in...

The site on which Kowloon Park, formerly Whitfield Barracks (威菲路軍 營), now stands was designated a military area in 1864. The barracks was named after Major General H.W. Whitfield. The first troops to be garrisoned at the barracks were Indian soldiers of the Hong Kong Regiment. The Muslims among Indian soldiers needed a place for worship, thus a small Mosque was set up near the barrack.

The site of Whitfield Barracks was handed over to the Government in 1967. In 1970, the then Urban Council took over the site and redeveloped it into the Kowloon Park. Most barrack buildings were demolished and only 4 blocks are left for reuse.

Block S61 (formerly Block D) was probably erected in the 1890s. The first troops to be garrisoned at Whitfield Barracks were Indian soldiers of the Hong Kong Regiment. Block S61, together with Block S62, was converted into the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in 2005.

Block S61, which originally was one of six barrack blocks built parallel to one another, is similar in type to Block 58. It is a typical Colonial Neo- Classical army barrack block of the period, being a long two-storey block with verandahs on the north and south elevations (now enclosed). The building was raised off the ground on low arches for ventilation and damp-proofing purposes. The ground floor verandah is formed by a series of key-stoned arches supported on columns, whilst the first floor verandah is formed by a series of rectangular openings divided by square columns with simple bases and capitals. The verandahs are now enclosed with large windows with a new entrance formed on the...

This centre is not to be confused with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Shatin. This place was once the site of the British Army’s Whitfield Barracks, and is now opened to the public. The historical building was built around the late 1890s and is conveniently situated near the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR ( Exit Kowloon Park) Admission is free & the centre is closed on Thursdays ( except PH) There are various different exhibitions about excavation efforts & also about Hong Kong’s rich cultural heritage. We joined a tour guide for a tour of “Harmony of Rites & Music: Exploring the Qilu Culture through Shandong Relics” this exhibition is very interesting & the guide was very informative & we enjoyed the tour & experience. This exhibition is now ongoing until 6-oct-2024. There are many more exhibitions in & outside the building & you should take the time to explore the gardens as well. There are several free guided tours throughout the day, do ask the friendly staffs at the entrance about that. There is also a reference library for the public to read books or periodicals on heritage related publications. This place is clean. Informative & and nice place to visit if you are...