General Post Office - Queen's Road at Pedder St - (2nd location) [1865-1921] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

General Post Office - Queen's Road at Pedder St - (2nd location) [1865-1921]

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Submitted by annelisec on Fri, 2010-04-30 11:08
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
1865-01-01
Date Place demolished: 
1921-01-01

1845 Map (detail) Central
1845 map shows the Post Office in this location.

 

The treaty ports of China and Japan - (1867)

1864 -  the Post ffice was temporarily moved into the ground floor of the Court House during the erection of the new establishment.

1865 - the new Post Office was opened and occupied.

 

1901 map

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Photos that show this place

1845
1860
1870
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Comments

Submitted by annelisec on Fri, 2010-04-30 11:21.

From the debate in 1898 on  moving the Post Office from its location near the current Marks and Spencer to the latest reclamation:

"... we have tried our utmost to make the Chinese use the Post Office, and it will not do after having got the Chinese to make use of the Post Office to remove it some five minutes' or even three and a half minutes' walk away from the central position of the town and entailing on them an extra two cents in the hire of a ricksha.

"And, furthermore, the Chinese make use of the Treasury more than the Europeans. The European sends his cheque in payment of rates, taxes, and so on, but the Chinese have to go to the Treasury and pay in cash and get a receipt from the Treasurer. In that way also three and a half minutes' walk
more or less to the Chinese would be a great hardship.

Of course if other cases have to be considered we may force the Chinese to walk a little further, ...

... Especially to remove that site would be an inconvenience to the majority of the European community as well. "

Submitted by David on Fri, 2011-04-29 12:23.

We've currently got the demolition date set to 1911 - a reasonable guess given that the GPO moved into it's new building on Connaught Road in 1911.

But the recently added 1919 photo above shows the old GPO building is still standing. So when was it demolished, and what was it used for between 1911 and its demolition?

Regards, David

Submitted by annelisec on Fri, 2011-04-29 21:43.

The building with the pillars is the Court House, not the Post Office. 

The clock tower was demolished in 1913.

The P.O. is hiding behind the trees.

Submitted by moddsey on Sat, 2011-04-30 06:55.

After the move of the GPO to the new premises on the Praya in 1911, the old GPO building that was occupied also by the Treasury (erected in 1867) was leased out. In October 1921,  the land comprising the old GPO building and the old Court House (last occupied by the Land Office) were sold at public auction.

In the land sale of 1921, the following buildings were erected in 1924

I.L. 2316 - Queen's Theatre

I.L 2317 & 2318 - China Building (old Court House & part of old GPO)

I.L 2319 - (Office Building on part of old GPO - I assume today's Pedder Building)

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2011-04-30 09:25.

Where did you get the IL numbers ?

You can enter the lot numbers into www.map.gov.hk and it shows you a rough outline.

IL 2319 is, indeed, the Pedder Building.

IL 2317 - AEON China Building

Submitted by moddsey on Sat, 2011-04-30 09:53.

The inland kot nos were obtained from the 1921 Land Sale and 1924 PWD Annual Report.

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2011-04-30 10:59.

What was here before 1867 ?

Submitted by moddsey on Sat, 2011-04-30 11:06.

Mention of the erection of the old GPO in 1867 is made in the 1911 PWD Annual Report.

Submitted by hfsiu on Sat, 2011-04-30 19:15.
i wonder whether 1867 is correct. the office can be seen in beato' photo taken in 1860.

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2011-04-30 21:15.

Wikipedia, under Pedder Street, says

In its heyday, Dent also occupied the south-western corner of Pedder Street (and Queen's Road), where it had established a "Tea Exchange". In 1846, it was transformed into the Treasury (庫務署), Supreme Court and General Post Office. This land was auctioned in 1921, when it achieved a price of HK$50 per square foot. The resulting China Building (華人行) was completed in 1924.

Submitted by moddsey on Mon, 2011-05-02 15:09.

Daily Press 18 Sep 1865: The business of the GPO operated in the new premises in the Queen's Road facing Wyndham St from 12 Sep 1865.

The move to the GPO on the Praya occurred on 19 Jun 1911.

Submitted by hfsiu on Tue, 2015-01-27 22:08.

By comparing the location of 1st GPO shown in 1845 and the later map, i think the 1st and 2nd GPO located the same corner, I.e. Intersection between Queen's Rd and pedder st.

 

Submitted by David on Wed, 2015-01-28 16:25.

From the comments above there were at least two different GPO buildings on this site. This wasn't the site of the first GPO though, as it started off near the corner of today's Garden Rd & Lower Albert Road, see: http://gwulo.com/node/6593

Regards, David

Submitted by Herostratus on Wed, 2016-05-25 18:15.

The General Post Office will be found on the corner of Queen's Road and Pedder's Street. Particulars of Steamer arrivals are exhibited by a system of movable boards on the Queen's Road front. Purchasers of Postage Stamps should apply at least an hour before the advertized time for the closing of the mail for which they intend their letters, as the crush of native servants on the approach of mail-closing hour is, in many cases, very objectionable, and not unfrequently dangerous.

Source: The Tourist's Guide to Hong Kong, with short trips to the Mainland of China … (1897) by HURLEY, R. C.