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The MacIntosh Forts are a group of seven
observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...
s built in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
between 1949 and 1953 at the border with China, to safeguard the border against
illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
, when there was an influx of refugees from China due to political instability.Antiquities and Monuments Office: Introduction to 1444 Historic Buildings
/ref> The Forts were named after
Hong Kong Police The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...
Commissioner Duncan William MacIntosh (in office, 1946-1953) who decided to build a chain of observation posts guarded day and night. They have been listed as Grade II historic buildings since 1997.Brief Information on Proposed Grade II Items


Description

The MacIntosh Forts were built along the Sham Chun River when an influx of Chinese refugees was followed by border incidents of armed clashes between the police and refugees. Amongst the refugees were the defeated remnants of the
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
Nationalist armies and also a "fair number of common criminals".R.G. Horsnall, "The MacIntosh Cathedrals", in ''Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch'', Vol. 35, 1995, pp. 171-176
/ref> The Forts were built in reinforced concrete of the same style and of very similar design, which may be categorised as Modern Utilitarian. Built on hilltops at strategic spots, with a view across the border, they were dubbed the ''Macintosh Cathedrals'' because of their distinctive appearance and outline against the skyline. Six out of the seven Forts are now remotely controlled. They are not open to public.Legislative Council - Official Record of Proceedings, 6 December 2006, p. 101
/ref>


List

The seven observation posts are located in a chain, covering most parts of the land frontier. They are from east to west:


Photo Gallery

Other photos of the forts File:Sign_for_MacIntosh_Fort_at_Lin_Ma_Hang.jpg, Sign for the MacIntosh Fort at Kong Shan, Lin Ma Hang File:MacIntosh_Fort_at_Lin_Ma_Hang.jpg, MacIntosh Fort at Kong Shan, Lin Ma Hang overlooking Shenzhen File:麥景陶碉堡（礦山）.JPG, MacIntosh Fort at Kong Shan File:麥景陶碉堡 (伯公拗).jpg, MacIntosh Fort at Pak Kung Au File:麥景陶碉堡（馬草壟）.JPG, MacIntosh Fort at Ma Tso Lung


See also

*
Historic police buildings in Hong Kong Several police buildings in Hong Kong are listed as historic monuments. While some of them are still serving their initial purpose, most of them have been decommissioned and have been redeveloped or are awaiting redevelopment. Historic police stati ...


References


External links

* {{Cite thesis, degree=M.Sc. in Conservation, last=Tse, first=Ching-kan Curry, title=The Fortified Line: Police Observation Posts in the Frontier Closed Area at the Border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, url=http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/56063/3/FullText.pdf, year=October 2006, publisher=
The University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public university, public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest Higher education in Hong Kong, tertia ...
, access-date=27 March 2015, url-status=dead, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405061114/http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/56063/3/FullText.pdf, archivedate=5 April 2015
Survey on Features with Cultural Heritage Value in the Sha Tau Kok, Ta Kwu Ling and Ma Tso Lung Areas, 17 December 2007 (with maps showing the location of the Forts)
Hong Kong Police Force British Hong Kong Grade II historic buildings in Hong Kong North District, Hong Kong Yuen Long District