Silage Silo above Victoria Road [????- ]
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Submitted by gw on Mon, 2017-04-17 02:07
Photos that show this place
 1955 |
 1955 |
 2017 |
Comments
That's another interesting
That's another interesting find.
Do you think it was a free-standing tower originally, or was it built in to the hillside?
Circular Stone Structure above Victoria Road
It backs directly onto the steep slope to the height of a terrace in the hillside immediately behind it. If there was access through its top it would have been easy to drop things, presumably animal food, into it from the terrace, for later retrieval via the vertical vent. There are at least two similar structures in the area once occupied by the Dairy Farm above Pokfulam Road which I need to return to for a better look than on my only brief previous visit.
Dairy Farm Derelict Buildings
It’s a silo - there are still two in existence - the one you show and another north of Pokfulam squatter village, which is more accessible and in better condition. They were unique in that they were built into the hillside, enabling workers to take the Guinea grass (aka Napier Grass and elephant grass) up to the opening at the top, then weighing it down with stones to expel the air. This allowed the grass to ‘ferment’ and turn into silage for winter feed, which was then extracted from the opening at the bottom. Difficult to date exactly, but there is some fairly strong evidence to show they were likely build around late 1800s, based on a Dairy Farm ‘manual’ published in 1919. The other construction shown in some other photos on this site (narrow steps leading into a cavernous building) is a manure pit - there are still at least two of these. Efforts are currently afoot to have these, and quite a few others categorized, as listed buildings, as part of an overall effort to recreate parts of the farm. Most notable amongst these is, Braemar, the last farm manager’s house, built c.1889. It is currently undergoing renovation, funded by the Government, with a view to turning it into an eco-historical learning centre.
Silage Silo
Thanks Wallydog, based on your info the title has been updated. Much obliged.
Reached this silo via some
Reached this silo via some illegally occupied land, which is full of rubbish like items. The view of the silo was blocked by trees, so not a good picture could be taken.