Bank of China and Bates memorial | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Bank of China and Bates memorial

Bank of China and Bates memorial
Authors: 

The curve in the road on the left and the column with the ball on top should locate this photograph, which I think was taken from near the cathedral or on the steep bank above the Cheero Club. (Andrew S)

Thanks for the comments. I have changed the title but not the date as I think 1954 is too early for Trevor.(Andrew)

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Friday, January 1, 1954
Connections: 

Comments

This photo was taken on Garden Road near the eastern end of St John's Cathedral looking at the bank of China building rather than HSBC. Does anyone know what the monument was for as it has been replaced by the St Johns Cathedral office building? It appears in photos at least from the mid 1860's. It can be seen below just above and to the right of the upper Murray Barrack Block Roof.

St. John church and Augustine Heard & Co.
St. John church and Augustine Heard & Co., by hfsiu

I thinks it is the Bate's Memorial on church grounds for Capt. William T. Bate.

Update

In the book "St John's Cathedral Hong Kong" by Doreen King: Bate's Memorial was a granite pillar surmounted by a globe which formerly stood on a site overlooking the Murray Parade Ground just a few feet from the parapet. It was removed when Battery Path was reconstructed in connection with the widening of Garden Road in 1954.

Not sure of the 1954 date though.

Stuart Wolfendale's 2013 book also states the memorial was demolished in 1954 for the widening of Garden Road. It was considered very ugly with no artistic merit so was not saved, except for the plaque which was installed on the outer north wall of the transept, where it still resides today:

I don't think that Garden Road was widened as early as 1954.  In my 1957-58 gallery there is a colour photograph (below) of the lower end of Garden Road showing both the left and right hand curbs and it looks the same as on the famous photograph of British P.O.W.s being marched down the road on their way to the Sham Shui Po camp.  I believe that the road was widened some time after 1958 - possibly when the Hilton hotel was built? Andrew

Central, Garden Road, Murray Barracks
Central, Garden Road, Murray Barracks, by Andrew Suddaby

The junction with Queens Road Central and Garden Road was an issue throughout the 1950s and was not solved until the early 1960s with the surrendering of Murray Barracks by the War Department to the HK government. However there was an improvement scheme undertaken in the mid 1950s which necessitated the demolishment of the Bates Memorial in 1954. The 'Sunday School Building'  at St Johns on Garden Road was completed in October 1955. 

 

From Legco Records:

I do, however, share the disappointment expressed by the President of the Hong Kong Automobile Association when he commented on the delay in starting the Garden Road improvement scheme, and I would here endorse a point made by my honourable Friend Mr. Blaker when he spoke about the military lands, for, in addition to the important advantages he mentioned, the resumption of the Murray Barracks area would also permit a better layout at the bottom of Garden Road. As regards street lighting, I think everyone must have noticed the progress that has been made, and with the allocation of $1.7 millions for 1954/55, further improvements may be expected.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, Meeting of 17th March, 1954

 

CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST BILL, 1955.

1. A public footpath is shortly to be constructed by the Government on a strip of Saint John's Cathedral Church land bordering Garden Road.  For this purpose and with the concurrence of the trustees, Clause 2 revests in the Crown the required strip of land.

2. Clause 3 extinguishes the right of way through the Cathedral precincts, and relieves the Government of the responsibility of maintaining the road.  It is intended that a new footpath in lieu of this right of way will be built on the north side of the wall on the northern boundary of the Cathedral precincts.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, Meeting of 14th September, 1955.

 

The reconstruction projects under "Roads and Bridges" include proposals to widen the causeway at Tai Po, and to reconstruct the bridge at Tai Po Market, both of which are

dangerous traffic bottle-necks at the moment.  It is also proposed to construct a traffic island at the junction of Garden Road and Bowen Road and to widen the approaches—a scheme which is estimated to cost $350,000

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, Meeting of 29th February, 1956

 

The second problem relates to the "bottle-neck" at the Garden Road/Murray Road and Queen's Road junction.  With the annual increase in the number of vehicles being licensed, this difficult "bottle-neck" will become even more of a problem than it is at present.  Last year an additional 4,018 vehicles were licensed, this being the greatest annual increase of vehicles registered and thereby bringing the total number of vehicles registered in the Colony to 29,000.  This figure excludes tramcars and Military vehicles and represents 100% increase in the number of vehicles in a period of six years.

Unless we can acquire Military and Naval land to widen these roads very considerably, there appears to be no alternative but to build an overhead 'fly-over' and elevated road.  Government could examine the problem of constructing a 'fly-over' to take traffic from Murray Road to Garden Road, and also an elevated road over Queen's Road to Hennessy Road. In the last traffic exhibition, there was a model which the Police had built, showing the possibilities of such a scheme.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, Meeting of 20th March, 1957.

 

In any event the planning of the Murray area is to some extent inhibited by another consideration, namely the re-design of the junctions of Garden Road and Murray Road with Queen's Road.  This might conceivably be so large a project as to impinge quite considerably upon the neighbouring lands at present held by the War Department. Honourable Members will be interested to know that a recognized authority on Traffic Matters, Dr. Charlesworth, who is Head of the Traffic Section of the Road Research Laboratory in the United Kingdom, has been invited to visit the Colony and is expected here at the end of May.  His advice will first be sought on the problem of this particular road junction. Planning of the neighbouring areas can then proceed.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, Meeting of 2nd April, 1958.

Thank you for the detailed and interesting up-date.  I’ll alter the date of Trevor’s photograph to 1954. Andrew