Ladies Recreation Club (LRC) - IL 898 [1883- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Ladies Recreation Club (LRC) - IL 898 [1883- ]

Current condition: 
In use
Date Place completed: 
1883-01-01

Chapter 1

"Before the LRC"
  1883 - 1890

Hong Kong from the Northern Fort

1879 - View of Hong Kong from the North Fort, Lei Yu Mun
by Constance Gordon Cummings -  original eBook


The New Territories had not yet become part of Hong Kong, There was no Peak Tram, no tram of any kind. Transport was by sedan chair, though "jinrickshaws" had recently been introduced from Japan. There were no sewers and the Sanitary Board was just being established.

Class distinction among the foreign community was very keen. In the Chinese community, the culture was such that ladies of the wealthier classes (as opposed to the working class) did not leave their own homes except, occasionally, to visit relatives. Many Chinese ladies had bound feet, and they certainly did not “take exercise”.  

The Cricket Ground, and the Race Course were reserved for the exclusive use of the gentlemen of the colony.
 
This prompted the European and American ladies of Hong Kong to search for a suitable place where they could play croquet, tennis and other sports suitable for western ladies ... and also to meet the need of ladies to have a Club set aside for their exclusive use and that of their families, to take exercise to improve their health.

Inside Government, Mr. William Marsh, the acting Governor commented

"For some years past [ the ladies ] have been endeavouring to find a piece of ground for this purpose but owing to the high value of all land that was suitable for building purposes they have been unable to succeed. At the suggestion of the Surveyor General they applied recently for a piece of ground outside the town, nearly half way up the hill and in a position that was not desirable for building purposes."

1889 Map LRC

The Peak with LRC

LRC bottom right

End of Chapter 1

 

Photos that show this place

Comments

More photos & memories on the Facebook group, I grew up at the LRC Hong Kong

1920s Queen's Gardens

1900s Queen's Gardens

1890s Mid-Levels

No date given.  But the land given to the LRC in 1883 was below the squiggly bit of road, center left.  This photo could be 15 years earlier.9e0ccd2b8b1b6ca1b8ac58193832.jpg

http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/indexplus/image/V0037347.html

Hi there,

I think the Old Peak Road, Tregunter Path & part of the Cheung Po Tsai Path had been clearly visible in this photo at Wellcome Image.

Best Regards,

T

This photo was taken by Floyd, so it was around 1868 to 1874.