Unknown structure at Nam Cheung St & Tai Po Rd junction | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Unknown structure at Nam Cheung St & Tai Po Rd junction

Unknown structure at Nam Cheung St & Tai Po Rd junction
Authors: 

Does anybody have any idea what the structure near the lower-left corner is?

There was a similar one near my father's shop at the junction of Boundary St. & Cheung Sha Wan Rd. I used to get up there to play. The walls and stairs were all brick, the stairs were really shallow. There were no doors to go inside, so it was unlikely to be a bomb shelter. 

Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Sunday, January 1, 1950

Comments

Mention is made here that the brick structures seen in the urban area were water tanks.

Thanks, Moddsey,

What I thought of as stairs to the top were more likely structural braces for the tank. The thickness of the braces increased by the depth of 1 brick with each step from top to bottom as water pressure increases with depth.

Hi There,

There is still one of those smaller ones on 3rd Street, at the annex of the old Jan Yuk Hospital site.  I have mentioned that in the link you just viewed.

I believe there are still some older roof top water tanks also made of bricks. especially if the buildings were built in the old ways of pouring concrete columns and floors while the walls are made of bricks.  Quite comond in the 1950 through 1960s, at least.  Until concrete works become the norms.

T