Valverde [????-????] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Valverde [????-????]

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Submitted by Herostratus on Mon, 2017-10-30 13:28
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists

An HSBC managers house

Tags: 
May Road
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Photos that show this place

1919
1926

Comments

Submitted by marlowe on Wed, 2018-12-05 18:40.

James, why do you think it's an HSBC house?
I believe that pre-war it was owned by the de Carvalho family ( there was a long discussion on Facebook).
In the 1960s, this was Mr Devereux's (spelling?) house, and he worked for Hong Kong Land.
After he died, his widow moved to one of the top flats in Tregunter.  

Submitted by Herostratus on Thu, 2018-12-06 02:35.

The HSBC connection came from this: 

The younger son of old Mr. Januario A. de Carvalho was Mr. Carlos Francisco de Carvalho. He was employed at the head office of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, rising to the post of Chief Clerk of the "local" staff. He married Guilhermina ("Nina"), the daughter of Mr. João Albino Cabral, a Colonial Treasurer of Macao. On retiring from the Bank's service, Mr. Carlos Carvalho proceeded to London, but did not live to enjoy his retirement long; he died within a year, and his widow died in Portugal not long after. Mr. Carlos Carvalho built and owned his house, which he named "Valverde," on May Road, on the upper middle levels of the Hongkong Island. He left a considerable fortune at his death.

Source: THE PORTUGUESE IN HONGKONG AND CHINA. Their Beginning, Settlement and Progress during One Hundred Years By J. P. BRAGA. Chapter 12

Submitted by marlowe on Thu, 2018-12-06 06:52.

Ah, I see the confusion. 
Normally when you say HSBC Manager's House, that always means a House that is owned (or leased) by the HSBC, and assigned to a manager as part of the salary package. When they leave, the next manager gets the house. 

But in this case it is someone who owns his own house, who just happens to work for the HSBC.

Now that it is confirmed that Valverde was owned by the de Carvalho family, I and can go back and update the discussion on Facebook.