Henry's Cafe, Chungking Arcade [????-c.1959]
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Submitted by David on Wed, 2020-01-29 15:12
Current condition:
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place demolished:
c.1959-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)
A Bar / Cafe at 21 Chung King Arcade.
Notes and memories:
- Canon George Zimmern on Facebook: Henry Lowcock, the father of Mr. SJ Lowcock, [and] grandson of Hon. H. Lowcock [...] One of his businesses was Henry's Cafe in Chungking Arcade in Tsim Sha Tsui. Henry joined the Royal Air Force and was killed in action during WWII. His name is on the memorial plaque outside the [Diocesan Boys'] School Hall.
- Cookie: In 1954 we used to frequent a local bar/cafe called Henrys in Chungking Arcade. It was run by a lady we called Ma [Mabel Lowcock, widow of Henry Lowcock]. I was 18 year old RAF national serviceman. Happy days. The Barmaids were Sophie, Vivian and Helen, really lovely kind girls
- Harigger: A very popular cafe with the British servicemen. Very much like a NAAFI , very basic decor with the tables bolted firmly to the floor. In 1958 it served the cheapest pint of draught Tiger in Kowloon.
There's also a photo showing a sign for Henry's Cafe on Peking Road, so the cafe may have moved there when the Chung King Arcade was demolished in 1959.
Photos that show this place
 1958 |
 1958 |
 1959 |
Comments
"Beer, Henry's Cafe"
Moddsey spotted their sign, "Beer, Henry's Cafe" above the left of the entrance to the Chungking Arcade:
HENRY'S CAFE
I remember giving a lady thirty dollars to buy some new curtins when I said good bye to her the following morning. That was in April 1958.
Nick
Henry’s Cafe
Henry's Cafe was opened after the war and run by my husband's grandmother, Mabel Lowcock.
Henry Lowcock was killed during the war and on her return to HK, Mabel ran the cafe as a means to support the family. The cafe was named in her husband's memory.
Ferry to Hong Kong
Henry's Cafe is one of the neon signs that pops up during a montage in Ferry to Hong Kong as Curt Jurgen's character goes on a bender. The film was shot in 1959 so I assume this was when it was still located at Chungking Arcade.
Henry's Cafe Chungking arcade
Accordiing to an article in SCMP, Henry married Mabel Kotewell in St John's Cathedral HK in April 1926. I believe he died in a a warehouse incident whilst serving in India and is buried in Karachi War Cemetry (now part of Pakistan). His grandfather (also called Henry) died in 1901 in London and is buried close to where I was raised in Wimbledon Common, UK. I'm vaguely related to Henry and Mabel's daughter Alwyn.