Cox's Path Government Quarters (Upper) [1920-1994]

A Juen 1922 Legco report says:
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $4,300 in aid of the Public Works, Extraordinary, Kowloon, (84) Miscellaneous Works.

THE CHAIRMAN―This is for improvements in the subordinate officers' quarters at Cox's Path, Kowloon―moving the kitchen from the house and adding another room to the house, and improving the kitchen and latrines in the servants' quarters.

Approved.

Cox's Path Government Quarters were completed in 1914. The buildings consisted of 8 two-storied houses with detached servants quarters. Each house had a small plot of ground in front and a small yard in the rear.

The quarters were for subordinate officers of the Government and directly faced Cox's Road and the Kowloon Cricket Club. Staff of the KCR were temporaily housed there.

The quarters were  built mainly of Canton red brick.

See: http://gwulo.com/node/6681

The quarters were situated to the north of the Escola Camoes (Portuguese Community School).

  I lived at Cox's Path from the early fifties  till 1960. There were six houses only, not eight. They were above and behind the Scout H.Q., known as Morse house, facing east across Cox's Road and the KCC bowling greens. Access was by ramp (the Path) which was about twenty metres south of Jordan Rd., sandwiched between Morse House and the Union Church grounds. there is a photo in the 1930's section, of Diocesan Girls School and in the background you can see Cox's Path and a building in front and below ( at street  level) that looks very similar to the architecture of Cox's Path. Was there perhaps another row of terraced houses there. I would have pulled out the photo myself to show you and at one time I could, but now Gwulo have made it so bloody complicated that there is no will to post any photos!

hi richops, do you remember this building on the corner of Cox's Road and Jordan Road and what is was used for? It now houses a religious charity and is in some disrepair

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=hong+kong&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hong+Kong&gl=uk&ei=nGo1TPmTGYrJcYTn4JAE&ved=0CCkQ8gEwAA&ll=22.305962,114.173076&spn=0,0.009624&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=22.305861,114.173118&panoid=Ti4WVbquqhqvzybrqt_4wA&cbp=12,238.99,,0,-2.05

   Up to when I left Cox's Path,  that building contained two flats, an Upper and lower and was the property of the Union Church (which I assume is still there). Mr. Small, the minister lived in one flat and Mr. Leach, my technical drawing teacher at KGV, lived in the other. 

I'm going to have another attempt at posting that photo of the Diocesan Girls School. In it you will see the building to which you refer as well as the Church and Cox's Path.            cheers Rich

In 1918 work started on the erection of a second block of six terrace houses on a site immediately to the rear of the existing quarters. I believe this would be the block of houses that Rich mentioned.

A couple of changes:

I've changed the title for this place to show '(upper)', to distinguish them from the slightly older block of quarters in front and below them.

I've guessed the dates as 1920 - 1994, based on:

• Moddsey's comment about work starting in 1918 (is that from a PWD annual report?)
• These buildings are still visible on a 1990 copy of 'Hong Kong Guide' map book. I'm assuming they were demolished around the same time as Morse House, which was handed back to the government in 1994.

Confirmed. The information is from the PWD Annual Reports for 1914 and 1918.

   Modsey in your research did you manage to acertain how many houses there were in the lower row. Considering the length of the six houses on the upper terrace, I very much doubt, considering the space available, that there were six on the lower level.

The 1914 report states that there were 8 houses in the lower block.