The existing buildings in Victoria Prison were built on top of the site of the first gaol at different stages as none of the original buildings survived over time.
The main entrance to Victoria Prison is through the prison main gate located at the south end of Old Bailey Street near Chancery Lane. Visitors to prisoners were to go through the main gate lodge to the visitors’ waiting room where open or closed visits would be arranged. Prisoners entering Victoria Prison were led through the second gate to the reception office located on the ground floor of F Hall for admission process. There is a rear gate next to A Hall leading to the Central Police Station mainly used for immigration cases.
The six surviving halls in Victoria Prison were mainly used to accommodate prisoners with D Hall being the oldest and F Hall the latest addition to the prison complex. B, D and E Halls are buildings of typical British prison design with cellular accommodation along the landings. Association accommodation and day rooms are found on the other Halls.
The Victoria Prison complex is enclosed by a wall which is varied in height in view of the slopping topography of the site. The upper yard was used for assembly and recreation whereas the lower yard was used as the laundry workshop and day room for prisoners. In view of the overcrowded stated of Victoria Prison, the day rooms were also used as workshops where simple manual tasks were conducted.
Corner House, the old guard house located on the corner of Arbuthnot Road and Chancery Lane had since the seventies used as staff accommodation and changing room. For a brief period the place was being used as Hong Kong’s first half-way house for female offenders requiring supervised hostel accommodation upon discharge and the place was named the Bauhinia House.
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