1951 View from the Peak over Central to Kowloon

When: The date for this photo comes from the Bank of China building [1] :

The Bank building was finished in November 1951, and here it's nearly done, so this photo was taken sometime in 1951.

Who: The light-coloured patches in the foreground are the tennis courts at the Ladies Recreation Club (LRC) [2]. Their swimming pool looks full, and the umbrellas are out around the pool, so I'll narrow the photo's date down to summer 1951:

Though we can't make out any individuals, many children who grew up in Hong Kong learned to swim in that pool, taught by Billy Tingle [3].

Where: The LRC is next to Old Peak Road, seen climbing up the hill from the top of this cropped section:

The flat area on the left housed a couple of generations of buildings with very similar names. This photo shows Queen's Garden [4], finished just a couple of years before this photo was taken.

A couple of earlier views shows how the area has changed over the years. 

This was taken around 1906. The buildings on the left of this photo were the original Queen's Gardens [5], ten semi-detached houses, or five buildings in all.

Finally, a view of the same area from c.1886, when the slopes were still covered in trees:

Before we leave this view, look at the top-right corner of all three crops and you'll see the same three-chimneyed building appears in each. I believe that long-lived building was Bellevue [6], but hopefully one of our mid-levels experts will let me know if I'm wrong.

Looking up from Queen's Garden we can see the Roman Catholic cathedral [7] :

We wouldn't see it in a modern photo - it's still there but hidden from sight by the surrounding high-rises!

Many of the buildings in that area were connected to the Roman Catholic church. eg the tall building on the left, overlooking the cathedral, housed an expansion of the growing Wah Yan school, which was run by the Jesuits. The building started out as St. Joseph's Mansion [8], built as residential accommodation and popular with the Portuguese community. Later it housed Wah Yan School, and later still it was renamed to become the Caritas Valtorta House, named after one of Hong Kong's Roman Catholic bishops [9].

The buildings with the dark roofs at the top of this crop had a much more secular use. They were part of the Central Police Station [10].

What: The photographer chose a day with beautifully clear skies, so we also get to see the changes underway over in Kowloon.

Up until then, the built-up areas followed the old coastline, and in particular the land between Nathan Road and the western shore. That's the area shown here:

Tsim Sha Tsui was already built up, and there had also been a significant amount of development at Hung Hom, connected with the dockyard and the other industries in that area:

But the photo shows the centre of Kowlooon was still quite empty, just barren, rocky hillsides. (To see just how empty it was, compare a 1952 map of the area with a modern satellite view: 1952 map / 50-50 / modern satellite view.)

By 1951 when this photo was taken, the need for land meant buildings were already starting to appear on the hills:

The towers in the foreground were the King's Park Government Quarters [11], while those in the background were quarters for HSBC's employees [12].

However the HSBC quarters wouldn't survive the decade. When Kai Tak's new runway was built out into the harbour, the buildings were in the way of the new flight path and had to be demolished.

If you can share any memories of the places mentioned, or you spot anything else of interest, please let us know in the comments below.

Regards, David

Gwulo photo ID: A430

References:

1. Old Bank of China Building [1951- ]
2. Ladies Recreation Club (LRC) [1883- ]
3. William Ewart TINGLE (aka Billy) [1900-1977]
4. Queen's Garden [1949-????]
5. Queen's Gardens [1889-1937]
6. Belle Vue (or Bellevue) [????-????]
7. Roman Catholic Cathedral (2nd & current location) [1888- ]
8. St. Joseph's Mansion / Caritas Valtorta House [????-????]
9. Enrico Pascal VALTORTA [1883-1951]
10. Central Police Station [????- ]
11. King's Park Government Quarters [????-????]
12. HSBC tower blocks at Nga Tsin Wai Rd [????-c.1957]