Blacksmith's Arms, TST [????-????]

I lived in Hong Kong in 1984 and 85. I visited Hong Kong at least as late as December 1990.  One of my regular, and favorite, pubs was Blacksmith's Arms. It was Blacksmith's Arms that was in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon. For a street I don't remember, but it was located in that area with such streets as Miden, and Hanoi Rd.  I went there often in the 84-85 period, and I was at Blacksmith's Arms in December of 1990. I have  2 photos of me in a  "Blacksnith's Arms Hong Kong"  T-shirt from the 1990 trip which was for visa purposes as I lived in Taiwan (Gaosiung) at the time.  If it was not on Miden, then it was very nearby there.    Andy

I worked in the Blacksmiths Arms during the winter of 1984-85 for about six months and then again when I returned to Hong Kong the following winter 1985-86. It was most definitely located in Minden Avenue, just off Mody Road. The boss was called Billy and the staff were a mixture of Chinese and expats. The Chinese guys who worked there were Benny, Albert, Edward and Kent and the expats Linda and Sue from New Zealand, Karen from the USA and myself from the UK. It was a great place to work and I still have loads of photographs from that time. I didn’t get to visit Hong Kong again until 1995 and at that time the pub was still there but it was closed. Next time I returned in 1998 the whole of that side of Minden Avenue had been demolished and it was just waste land which was being used as a temporary car park. Now that side of the street has been re-developed. I’m living in back in the UK now but I’m fortunate in that I visit Asia regularly for my work and I do manage to get to Hong Kong from time to time. I have some very happy memories of the Blacksmiths Arms and I remember many of the regular customers too. I would love to hear from anyone who used to frequent the pub during that time. I’m sure if we’d had social media back I wouldn’t have lost touch with some of the great people I used to know in Hong Kong.  

I was a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1984-85. There was a young women from the US who was a student there at that same time. She studied Cantonese and worked at Blacksmith's Arms. I don't remember her name.

I had heard at one time that much of the district around the old Blacksmith's Arms/Hanoi Road area was going to be torn down.  It was to be replaced with a modern shopping complex. Did this ever happen?  That is a very appealing part of Hong Kong. It would be a sad loss.

I haven't been able to get back now for 25 years.  I was last in Asia (Taiwan) in 1997.

Andy

I lived in Cameron Road 92-93, Blacksmiths was my regular pub- and I remember Billy very well! At that time the bar manager was Scots Alan, who got himself a bit part in a Kung Fu movie, The East is Red! I used to work for Hong Kong English club in Jordan and Mongkok. Now working in Shanghai, and here tonight (27/6/19) and the weekend on visa run! Right now, sitting in Roadside Bar, Hart Avenue- mourning the loss of Blacksmiths- cos I was just down Minden Avenue looking for it! Oh well, can’t expect everything to stay the same for 26 years or so! Big cheers to the Blacksmiths and all who worked there or remember it! Yam boi!

I lived in HK for a couple of years in the mid 90's but have visited HK many many times.   I too still have a Blacksmith's Arms TShirt - a couple of sizes too small now - collected on my first visit to Hong Kong in Oct 1982. I do recall that the pub looked pretty well established even then although have no idea when it firsst started operating