Clanmore (Claymore), Tai Koo Lau [1880-????] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Clanmore (Claymore), Tai Koo Lau [1880-????]

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Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2014-12-27 12:11
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
1880-01-01
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Photos that show this place

2014

Comments

Submitted by Admin on Sat, 2014-12-27 14:41.

Jennifer Lang writes:

My understanding about Claymore House (also known as Clanmore) is that is was located in Pokfulam (located on the present day grounds of Chi Fu Fa Yen Housing Estate and the name Claymore Avenue remains) and was used as Butterfield & Swire's first Hong Kong Taipan's residence (Edwin Mackintosh - Hong Kong Manager in 1879,  and later that year he became partner in the firm Butterfield & Swire)  in the 1880s.  In June 1885 Swire sold the house to the Nazareth community of Jusuit priests, and the Swie's constructed a Taipan house on the Peak in 1889.  The villagers of Pokfulam called the house "Taikoolao" after the Chinese words "Tai Koo" the name that Swire atopted  for their Hong Kong sugar refining company.  Evidently Claymore had issues as a site known for the strange "Hong Kong fever", and after the purchase of the house several Jusuit priests became ill while living in Claymore, and eventually the Nazareth community moved to Richmond Terrace in Kennedy Town in April 1891 to escape the Hong Kong fevor of Claymore.  Eventually Claymore was sold to the Dairy Farm Company  and was demolished. 

Sources:

  • Le Pichon, Alain.  Bethanie & Nazareh- French Secrets from a British Colony.  Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006.
  • "From the Archives: Bethanie, Nazareth and Claymore," Swire News (Summer 2007): 14-15.

Annelise found several maps of the old Dairy Farm site that show this building in the AMO document: http://www.amo.gov.hk/form/HIA_Report_ICC.pdf

I've copied the 1880 completion date from Jennifer's other page.

Submitted by David on Sat, 2014-12-27 14:55.

Hi Jennifer,

Do you have a record that Claymore was originally named Craigellachie?

We've seen other cases where house names moved with the occupants, so it's possible that the Mackintosh family took the Craigellachie name with them when they moved to Bonham Road (see http://gwulo.com/node/7151), and that was when this building changed its name to Claymore / Clanmore.

Regards, David

Submitted by Jennifer Lang on Mon, 2015-01-05 12:23.

I am sorry but I don't have information about the connection between Criagellachie and Claymore - there may be no connection.  

Submitted by Herostratus on Fri, 2016-11-18 15:22.

A property near the Sanatorium of Bethany with a European house and dependencies, was found named ‘Clanmore’, (one of the earliest houses in Pok Fu Lam) and purchased 15 April 1885  It belonged to an English firm, stated to be desirous of selling it. the old house was known to the Chinese as ‘Taikoolau ": the. former home of the taipan of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire.

 

Area was greatly affected by Malaria and sickness - despite efforts to drain land sickness could not be chased away so a new location had to be found. Moved to Richmond Terrace on todays Lyttelton Road

 

Source: Old Hong Kong by Colonial Vol 1