House on Lot 190, Clearwater Bay Rd. [c.1950-c.1971] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

House on Lot 190, Clearwater Bay Rd. [c.1950-c.1971]

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Submitted by micar on Mon, 2021-06-14 05:49
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
c.1950-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)
Date Place demolished: 
c.1971-12-31 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)

The house my dad built on Clearwater Bay Rd circa 1950 (no electricity, no telephone, on well water - location approximately 9 1/2 miles on southwest side of CWB Rd where the current Pine Villas was built when our family sold and moved in 1971 to the city.

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Photos that show this place

1950
1950
1950
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Comments

Submitted by tngan on Tue, 2021-06-15 00:24.

Hi There,

The current Google Maps and other maps showed quite a few houses in the site. Probably it had been sub-devided some time ago and redeveloped in the current status.

Fro GeoInfo Maps, it shows this   It seems to share the same DD229 lot with the Fragrant Villa next door.  But the present day Pine Villas lis listed as 223 (DD223?) where the Fragrant Villa is listed as 221 (DD221?) with an 221 extension in between.  Sorry, don't know much about these lot number stuffs.

T

Submitted by micar on Tue, 2021-06-15 02:22.

Hello tngan,

I do not know where the legally surveyed lot boundaries of our property were although I do recall it was known as Lot 190 Clearwater Bay Rd.  Based on my visit in 2017, the paved driveway leading up to our house was approximately where the current driveway between Pine Villas and Fragrant Villa is now located.  Also, if you refer to the second photo in the series I posted, on the other side of the property was an unpaved dirt road between our lot and approximately what is now No.684 CWB Rd so presumably our lot extended between the paved driveway and the unpaved dirt road on the other side - my understanding was that our lot included the area that we cultivated for vegetables in the photo.   If one wanted to be certain, presumably one could search the title to Lot 190 to establish the survey boundaries and how it was subdivided.  I am not familiar with the HK Land Title system.  

Regardless, I remember very fondly as a child the days that I would spend roaming the hills nearby including the very symetrical conical shaped one behind and above our house.   There was a little used path to the top of that hill which had a stone or concrete monument - it is now part of a well established network of hiking trails. From the top of the hill to the southwest on the other side one could see Hang Hau which was still a small fishing village and Tseung Kwan O where old ships were scrapped, of course way before the bay was reclaimed.  My apologies for being a bit carried away as I walk these journeys of nostalgia.

Cheers,

Mike

Submitted by Admin on Sat, 2021-06-19 15:05.

Hi Mike, Thanks for sharing the photos and memories. I've made a small adjustment to keep things tidy, naming this page for your house, and making a separate page for the later Pine Villas.

Feel free to edit the title of this page if needed.

Regards, David

Submitted by Li Lai ting on Tue, 2021-06-22 21:51.

What wonderful memories to have.  It looks as though it was a beautiful place to live.

Submitted by micar on Wed, 2021-06-23 00:24.

Thank you, Lai-ting,   I was born and lived in the house till I was 17 years old.  My dad got married to my mum, bought the land and built the house to create his own paradise after being released as a POW.  Ours was the first house in the area and at night the only lights we could see were from Tai Po Tsai.  As a child I still remember using kerosene lamps and kerosene stoves before electrical service caught up and, later on cylinder butane gas.  Yes, wonderful memories.  I still visit the site and climb the hill on the rare occasions when I return to HK.  

Cheers, Mike 

Submitted by Li Lai ting on Wed, 2021-06-23 03:41.

What a magical childhood.  I did not grow up in Hong Kong but remember it as a wonderful place to live.  I too remember a happy childhood elsewhere in the Pax Britannica with kerosene lamps - and the kitchen pantry/safes with their fly netting and the legs in saucers of water to thwart the ants - and the kerosene fridges!  We were fortunate - unique and special memories.

Submitted by micar on Fri, 2021-06-25 00:50.

Yes, those long hot carefree summers roaming the hills.  At night in bed peering out into the darkness through our mosquito nets (before the oncoming of window mesh)!  The only downside living in the countryside was a lack of other kids to socialize with.