Sen Tak School, Convent & Dispensary, Hung Hom [c.1900-1958]
Primary tabs
(The school's history and background, copied from the discussion at https://gwulo.com/comment/62627#comment-62627)
I think it would be useful for me to clarify several issues:
(1) The Founder of the Canossian Order is Saint Magdalene of Canossa. She was the daughter of Marquis Ottavio of Canossa, Verona, Italy. She used her inheritance to help the poor and sick, and in 1808 used an old convent building to start the Canossian Daughters of Charity. The Order received formal approval from the Pope in 1828. She was canonized in 1988. The Order's charity work was focussed in Italy until 1860 when six sisters left Italy and started their first overseas mission. The first destination was Hong Kong. Using Hong Kong as the regional base, the Sisters then started missionary work in different parts of China, Macao, India, Japan and the Philippines etc.
(2) Sen Tak School 聖德學校 was a primary school for girls. The school began operation in 1890 in another location in Hunghom but it moved to the top of a small hill behind Wuhu Street around 1899/1900. Apart from the school, there was also a free clinic and a small convent for the sisters. The Canossian Sisters did run orphanages, but not at this location. The small hill did not have a formal name but villagers called it Sen Tak Hill 聖德山, following the name of the School.
(3) Next to the Sen Tak Hill was the Kwun Yam Hill 觀音山 with a temple at the top. So when there is any mention of a temple, it should be this temple. The temple had been there before the Canossian Sisters bought H.H.I.L.219 in 1898 and built the School. And further east, also on top of a hill, was the old Police Station. Below is a map of 1896 showing the temple and the Police Station.
Another map of the same area of 1920 shows all three structures -- Sen Tak School at HHIL219, the Temple and the Police Station.
(4) Sen Tak School was a primary school, so it was not on any of the list related to the HK Certificate of Education Examination. But it was formally registered with the Education Department. Below is the Education Report in 1905. The school in Hunghom refers to Sen Tak.
(5) I was not precise enough when I mentioned earlier that the school ran from 1890-1954. The School was not destroyed by the fire in 1954. The original school building was destroyed by US bombing on 16 October 1944. With funding from the Government, nissen huts were built in 1949 and the school resumed its operation. The huts were damaged by a typhoon in August 1954. The school then continued its operation using the premises of Holy Family School at Junction Road. One school operated in the morning and the other school operated in the afternoon. In 1958, the school moved to the new school building at Hok Yuen Street and was renamed Holy Angels Canossian School.
Photos that show this place