Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club - 1st location [1908- ]

Hi, grading was confirmed in December along with most other government-owned buildings.

http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Monument/form/AAB-SM-chi.pdf

From a previous thread:

David:

Google Streetview:

View Larger Map

80skid:

That  building is the former headquarter and clubhouse of the RHKYC, officially opened on 21 March 1908.   It is a Grade II historic building.  The entire site at 12 Oil Street is on the land sale list if you want to buy it.

Annelisec:

Did the HKCYC build first, and then the RHKYC plop down just next door?

80skid:

Hi, the RHKYC moved from there in 1939 after reclamation made the site useless. According to the AMO, the club negotiated swapping the site for Kellet Island (previously a naval magazine depot according to the club's website):

 "The premises at No. 12 Oil Street were built in 1908. Located within the former Government Supplies Department compound in North Point, they served as the headquarters and clubhouse of the former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC, 前香港皇家遊艇會). The fund-raising campaign organized by the RHKYC to finance the construction proved successful as the members were enthusiastic about the clubhouse. The clubhouse was officially opened on 21 March 1908 by the then Governor, Sir Frederick Lugard.

With subsequent reclamation along the shore of North Point, the clubhouse lost its waterfront location, and had to move to a new base. After prolonged negotiations, the RHKYC was granted Kellet Island to build a new clubhouse. In 1939, the RHKYC moved to its present clubhouse at Kellet Island. After the Second World War, the premises at No. 12 Oil Street were used as a garage and government staff quarters for several decades until 1998. In more recent times, they have been used as a storehouse of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) until late 2007. Nowadays, the premises are vacant."

The building (which is government-owned) is excluded from the land sale. (map on last page of this exhaustive document: http://www.landsd.gov.hk/en/landsale/applist10/IL%208920.pdf)

 
Another view of the site taken in 2003:

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/object?svc=objrtv&src=CM&itemid=BIRHL%2326NC$30CIQ&pid=1&mime=image/jpeg

while this aerial one from 1973 shows how close the old power station was. The older part gives an idea where the original waterfront was, given the club house had a lawn etc:

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/object?svc=objrtv&src=CM&itemid=Q%23N9U9I6E5H%23N@BH&pid=1&mime=image/jpeg

Hi there,

I was in the neighbourhood last Saturday. I had been wondering if the club house was only the one by the west end, or both.

The gate was locked as expected, but there is a public carpark next door.  So I went into the carpark and took a few snaps from afar.    It's not much as there are three wire fences between me and the club house.  The trees also obscured quite a bit of the view.

At the main gate there is a note saying, if you have important matters concerning visiting the former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, please contact the security guard or another land line, which is not shown clearly in my photo.  I should have written it down instead.  I will jot it down the next time I walk by and update.  I am uncertain if the security guide speaks fluent English or not.

Best Regards,

T

exchaustive research on the history of the site as well as the development of North Point found here:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/AAB_20_2011-12_v1_p1.pdf
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/AAB_20_2011-12_v1_p2.pdf

Folks,

The site had been refurbished and is now opened for an exhibition.  Further information could be found here.  I'm not too interested in the exhibition, but it was good to walk around the brick buildings, gwaking.

Best Regards,

T

Those photos showing the more recent, rounded HKRYC building (eg those taken in 1986) probably belong on a separate page, ie the 2nd(?) generation of the Royal Yacht Club. 

Thanks Liz, I've moved them over to the page for Kellett Island, the HKRYC's current home.

Oil Street wasn't RHKYC's "first location" (but it was it's first location on Hong Kong side and Oil Street was its first permanent clubhouse and was opened on 21 March 1908 by Sir Frederick Lugard).  It was the second or possibly third clubhouse, the first (and possibly second) was/were on Kowloon side.

It is correct that the Oil Street location is the one immediately prior to its current one though.

still trying to work that out

I have come across an article that states that the yacht club's bathing raft used to lie off of Star Ferry Wharf.  This was 1906.