Hong Kong 1846 - Pagoda House
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I am editing the letters of Eliza Hillier (nee Medhurst), wife of Charles Batten Hillier, 1846-1856. These include letters from other members of the family including her brother, Walter. On 22 October 1846, having visited her, he writes to his sister, Martha:
Hong Kong has become so delightful a place – You can now walk on the streets and roads two and three tiers higher than the Queen’s Road where you are not at all exposed – very quiet retired places – one of these passes in front of Eliza’s having in some parts of it very pretty scenes. You remember the valley in front of–your old House – It is now filled with Houses and that part of it immediately around the Pagoda House is planted with numerous trees with walks among them making the whole place look very pretty.
Can you tell me anything about Pagoda House; is there a later photo showing what he's describing; what is the best map to illustrate this?
Many thanks.
Andrew
Do you have any idea where
Do you have any idea where Eliza's house was, to narrow down the area we're looking at?
Glenealy
From the description, I think the valley may be Glenealy.
Hong Kong 1846
Many thanks for both those comments. The 1848 Almanac lists CB Hillier as living at Caine Road. Does this tally with "You can now walk on the streets and roads two and three tiers higher than the Queen’s Road where you are not at all exposed – very quiet retired places – one of these passes in front of Eliza’s having in some parts of it very pretty scenes"? It would be extremely helpful if you could point me in the direction of the best map.
Andrew
Re: Maps
Suggest to view maps from here Glenealy is at the eastern end of Caine Road.
The pagoda house was almost
The pagoda house was almost certainly Dents Bungalow, as it was shaped like a pagoda. There is a place for it here. It was one fo the first buildings constructed in Hong Kong The area around it with the tree walks was called Green Bank. (Place here with maps of area) This area is now the upper part of Lan Kwai Fong. The bungalow was demolished c1861, so there a very few photos of it that I have seen. Here is one from 1860 looking southwest towards Arbuthnot & Caine Road showing part of the Pagoida House:
Pagoda House & Hillier Street
Many thanks to everyone for their v. helpful replies- due credit will be given in the book to be published by HKCU Press. If I'm allowed to use this site for this purpose, can I just mention that last month my book Mediating Empire An English Family in China: 1817-1927 was published by Renaisssance Books- details on my web-site andrewhillier.org . It has chapters on Charles Hillier, Chief Magistrate & Eliza H. Hillier Street was named after CBH. I have assumed this was done as a 'leaving present' by Governor Davis. But if anyone thinks that's not the case, it would be good to know.
Green Bank
The harbour of Hong Kong from the garden of "Green Bank" as seen here Circa 1848
The garden is mentioned here