Lena Lodge / Enchi Lodge (aka "Cherry 'Ole" or "Cheery 'Ole") [1921- ]

Additional notes from 80skid:

eatsee, great job working that out. full details from government's historical appraisal below. the building and stables were graded 2 in august.

Enchi Lodge Castle Peak Road, Kam Tsin Tsuen, Sheung Shui, N. T. Enchi Lodge (恩慈之家) (Lots 717 & 718, 2158RP in DD92) is a pre-World War II building in Sheung Shui. Probably built around 1921, it was first used by Jardine Trading Co. as a staff clubhouse. Later on, a man named Zhang Gongrang (張公讓), who may have been a general of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Guomindang, 國民黨), bought the Enchi Lodge and lived there when he came to Hong Kong. Mr. Zhang employed the villagers living in Kam Tsin Tsuen and he left Enchi Lodge before the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. During the Japanese Occupation, Enchi Lodge was used as a Japanese military quarter and a hospital for Japanese soldiers.

After World War II, it was used for various purposes. In the 1950s-60s, Enchi Lodge was rented for film-making. Mr. Leung Sing-bo (梁醒波), who was a famous Cantonese opera artist in Hong Kong, has performed in Enchi Lodge. In 1967, Enchi Lodge was occupied by a number of foreigners and used as a private villa. Moreover, Enchi Lodge had once been rented to San Miguel Brewery Limited during 1969-1971.

Since 1991, Enchi Lodge has been (and still is) used as a drug addiction treatment centre run by the Drug Addict Counselling and Rehabilitation Service (DACARS, 得基輔康會), which was formed by a group of pastoral, medical, legal and social work professionals in early 1988. The name “Enchi Lodge” was assigned by DACARS in 1985. “Enchi” (恩慈) literally means favour and kindly affection given by God.

Historical Interest The compound comprises a two-storey main building and a small one-storey pitched roof building at the rear. A covered path connects the two buildings. The architecture of Enchi Lodge can be described as countrified Italianate with an admixture of Arts & Crafts and Art Deco features. The style evokes the country villas of Tuscany and Umbria with its primitive arched ground floor of rough stonework and its white painted upper storey of stucco-work. Projecting curved bays with balustraded balconies, full height stone angle buttresses, and a Roman pan-tiled roof with projecting eaves complete the picture. The interior floor plan is set on a central axis with central halls or rooms flanked by side rooms used for various purposes.

The ancillary block is situated to the north of the main building. This is a single storey building with a pitched roof of Chinese tiles and used to be the stables of the riding school. Inevitably, due to the many uses to which Enchi Lodge has been put, there have been alterations such as installation of aluminium windows and new floor finishes. Externally, however Enchi Lodge retains its distinctive architectural style which is very rare in Hong Kong. As such, it has obvious built heritage value.

Its social value lies in the rehabilitation service it provides to drug addicts. Locally it is known as “Tai Koo Lau”(太古樓) by the villagers in Kam Tsin Tsuen, but Enchi Lodge has never built up a close relationship with the local inhabitants who pay little attention to the activities there. As Enchi Lodge and its ancillary block are being utilized for a useful purpose, the question of adaptive re-use does not arise at the present time.

It's funny, but I've actually passed this place twice before in a taxi. But because the lower ground is hidden from view on Castle Peak Road, there is no way I was going to recognise it. Seeing the streetview version above it jogs my memory.

In fact, I believe both David and myself went past it last year whilst in a cab on the way to Ki Lun Shan last year :-)

I can only say thanks and marvel at all of the knowledge that you all seem to have.

Another mystery solved!

If i could only trace an ancestor of my great grandmother Ching Ah Fung I would have nearly all the jigsaw. Afraid that is not likely though.

Thanks again to all.

Sean

Thanks for the information. Amazing the power of Gwulo!

Glad you have happy memories opf the place. My great aunt clearly enjoyed herself there many years ago.

Sean

Hong Kong Telegraph 22 December 1925

Re: Fanling Hunt excerpt

"Next the hounds picked up a good scent at the back of the Cheery 'Ole and leaving the Portuguese Golf Club on the right made a bee-line for the hills."