The site of St John's Cathedral is the only freehold land in Hong Kong, granted in fee simple pursuant to s. 6(1) of the Church of England Trust Ordinance (Cap.

[12] The bell tower of the cathedral is decorated with a large "VR" on the west face, in commemoration of the institution's founding during the reign of Queen Victoria.

The north and south faces of the tower are decorated with the coats-of-arms of two former governors of Hong Kong, John Francis Davis and George Bonham.

[4] There were reports that the main doors of the cathedral are made with wood planks salvaged from HMS Tamar, but according to a 2016 article published by the South China Morning Post, that is untrue.

The original bronze tablet with the names of the First World War dead is held inside the cathedral, in St Michael's Chapel.

Beside the memorial cross is a tombstone covering the remains of Ronald Douglas Maxwell, who was killed in Wan Chai three days before the ceasefire.