Monster Building

The complex known as the Monster Building at Quarry Bay is five separate 1960s residential estates, Montane Mansion among them, built joined together around a shared courtyard, rising some twenty storeys with over two thousand flats and a facade of stacked balconies, air conditioners, pipework and drying laundry that fills the frame completely when photographed from below. It appeared in international films and then in millions of photographs, and the courtyard became crowded with visitors. Residents objected to the noise, blocked lifts and constant cameras, and management has restricted access and put up signs; the courtyard has been closed to non-residents at times.

What you actually see

• Stacked balconies filling the frame - the facade from the courtyard.
• Five estates built as one block - the interlocking 1960s plan.
• Ground-floor shops and life - the working base of the buildings.
• The film location history - the sequences shot here.

When to go

Year round; overcast days give even light on the facade. One hour. Check whether the courtyard is open to visitors before travelling; access has been restricted.

Honest expectations

People live here and they have made clear they do not want visitors. Access is restricted and may be refused outright. Photographing into flats is intrusive. If you go, be brief, quiet and prepared to be turned away.

Nearby

Quarry Bay is around it; Braemar Hill lies west.