Situated on top of a hill in Pokfulam, University Hall is a charming edifice that blends Tudor, Gothic and Renaissance Revival architectural styles.
It was built around 1861 by a Scottish businessman, Douglas Lapraik, as his headquarters and residence and named after him as ‘Douglas Castle’. The French Society of Foreign Missions (also known as the Missions Étrangères de Paris) bought the building in 1894 and renamed it ‘Nazareth’. The French Society of Foreign Missions gave up Nazareth in 1953, and The University of Hong Kong acquired it in 1954 for use as a hostel for undergraduates. Now known as University Hall, the building has served as a hall of residence for men since 1956.
The significant architectural features that characterised Nazareth remain: colonnaded verandahs with Tudor arches delineate the first and second floors of the building, while the embattled parapets and pinnacles on the roof as well as the corner towers are the most distinctive features of this castle-like building.
The Exterior of University Hall, The University of Hong Kong was declared a monument in 1995.