Johnston established his company on the site of Whiteaway's Building (now Malayan Bank Building) and in 1848 moved to the present Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank site. To facilitate the transportation of import and export goods from boats, a pier was built by the company and named after Johnston. Like its predecessor Johnston's Pier, the Hoklos (Hokkien) also called it "ang theng beh thow"(Chinese: 红灯码头), meaning "red lamp harbour", referring to a red oil lamp beacon which shone over the pier at night as a warning to ships.