Victoria Recreation Club, Central [1908-1954]
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"The Victoria Recreation Club has always been associated with sporting activities such as swimming and rowing and was predominantly Portuguese for many years. This was especially so when it had a swimming pool and club-house in the central business area and young Portuguese office workers made good use of its facilities."
http://ribeirofamily.com/Nostalgia/yesterdays.htm#hong_kong
1908 - Twentth Centruy impressions of Hong Kong ... p 252
The Victoria Recreation Club— The "father" of all sporting clubs in the Colony is undoubtedly the Victoria Recreation Club, which was founded on October 25, 1849 (when the Colony was in its infancy), under the name of the Victoria Regatta Club. The promotion of yachting races seems to have been the sole object of the Club. The first regatta was held in 1849. the programme including sailing races and races for wherries. four-oared gigs, cutters, house-boats, &c..
It appears to have died a natural death in 1855, but was revived five years later, with a membership of seventy-eight.
The club-house was situated close to the water front, and the typhoons of 1872 and 1874 did a great deal of damage to it ; the repairs consequent upon the 1874 typhoon costing over $5,000.
In 1900-1 the club premises were removed to Kowloon, as the Admiralty required the then existing site in connection with the scheme for constructing large docks (since built), but a promise was given to the Club that a new site adjoining the docks would be granted at the completion of the work.
... The great typhoon of September 18, 1906 demolishing the Club premises at Kowloon and doing damage to the extent of about $11,000.
In the early part of 1907, after considerable delay, the new site was handed over to the Club and a handsome building has been erected upon it, commanding a splendid view of the harbour and affording excellent facilities for the launching of boats, swimming, and gymnastics.
Photos that show this place
 1908 |
 1915 |
 1925 |
Comments
Re: Victoria Recreation Club
The VRC still exists today with clubhouses in Deepwater Bay and Sai Kung
From the VRC website: http://www.victoriarecreationclub.com.hk/about_us.htm
The China Mail of 3 June 1954 mentions that the 'VRC - a familiar landmark on the Hong Kong waterfront during the last 50 years was pulled down 6 months ago to make way for the Central Reclamation that is to accommodtae the City Hall.' A date of early 1954 looks like the date of demolition.
Victoria Club History
Moddsey,
I wonder if you have any idea where the history of the club could be checked out?
Seems my grandfather, John Olson 2, was on the committee around 1916. The club tell me they have no records going back that far.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Sean
Re: VRC
The only place that I know of the history of the VRC is through its website:
http://www.victoriarecreationclub.com.hk/about_us.html
Having said, it may be possible to peruse the holding of committee meetings in the on-line newpaper archives.
Central Swimming Baths/Victoria Recreation Club
The Swimming Bath, as it was first called, was established in 1866, on the waterfront a little inland of the present site of the V.R.C. A new bath had to be formed when the Naval Dockyard reclamation was carried out at the close of last century as we shall presently see. The Victoria Recreation Club thus combined aquatic sports and gymnastics, and became so well established that when its site was included in the reclamation, it was accommodated on Naval land at Kowloon until the completion of the work at Hongkong enabled the club to move back to a spot only a few yards from its former site. In old plans of the seafront is to be seen as long pier jutting out from the V.R.C.'s matshed bluchouse, evidently serving the same purpose as the piers now built opposite the Chinese bathing clubs at North Point.
A letter from Mr. Edward Beard Secretary of the Victoria Recreation Club, to Commodore Parish, in September 1874 states that he is directed by the Committee of the Victoria Recreation Club to bring to the Commodore's notice the fact that early on the morning of the 23rd when the typhoon was at it height, the bath house, boat house and other premises belonging to H.M.'s Navy slipped from her moorings.
It appears that after driving through the bath house and utterly destroying it, the ship was ultimately thrown by the force of wind and sea'on the boat house, " smashing the walls and bringing down the roof completely and entirely-destroying the lace and boats contained therein belonging to the Club and its members.
In view of the above, Mr. Beard had been directed by his-Committee to ascertain what action the Naval authorities were disposed to take to enable the Committee to defray the heavy expenses
It is evident the Navy did not consider itself liable. In a letter from Vice-Admiral Shadwell to Commodore Parish written aboard the Iron Duke at, Woosung October 6 1874, the Commodore is commended for the action he took during the recent typhoon at Hongkong.
The following interesting paragraph concludes the letter: The claim raised by the Victoria Recreation Club for damages sustained owing to the HMS Flamer (a picture of this ship ashore was published by the Illustrated London News November 21 1874) being cast ashore near their premises appears to me to be quite preposterous under the circumstances and entirely inadmissible. A typhoon must be looked upon as a visitation of God and all parties must bear their own loss.
Source: Old Hong Kong by Colonial Vol 1
oddity
Good that Herostratus has pinned down that the earlier VRC was floating. The 1888 BA chart China Southeast Coast: Hong Kong Harbour, surveyed 1886-87, shows only the palisaded off swimming pool, some way off the shore line with what one supposes to be a walkway reaching it, but otherwise the whole waterfront between Murray Pier and the naval yard is within North Barracks.
The interesting oddity on the chart, which may have been around until the naval yard extension work began, was close to the shoreline, pretty much in line with the swimming enclosure, and is labelled "Palos Pier. Obsn spot of Comdr Green U.S.N."
I'm not sure the VRC's
I'm not sure the VRC's premises were floating. I guess that a few words have got lost at some point along the transcription chain. I've put my guess at the original text in italics below:
A letter from Mr. Edward Beard Secretary of the Victoria Recreation Club, to Commodore Parish, in September 1874 states that he is directed by the Committee of the Victoria Recreation Club to bring to the Commodore's notice the fact that early on the morning of the 23rd when the typhoon was at it height, the bath house, boat house and other premises <were destroyed when the hulk> belonging to H.M.'s Navy slipped from her moorings.
There's a page for the earlier site of the VRC's swimming baths at https://gwulo.com/node/17201
Thanks for the info about the Palos Pier too, first time I've heard of that. I've moved it to its own page so we can show its location, and hopefully add a photo at some point: https://gwulo.com/node/40903