[Update: I've changed the date to 1927 now, based on IDJ's comments below.]
I've used the '1930s' date as given on Flickr, but I'm wondering if it should be back around 1926-7 when the Peninsula was under construction. The building doesn't look finished yet, and there's a small temporary building where the fountain is today. Can anyone help?
Regards, David
Comments
Re: 1930s Aerial view of TST
Hi there,
I don't see the Chung King Arcade there. Thus that should be another clue.
Best Regards,
T
1930s Aerial View of TST
According to a Peninsula Hotel book that has a similar picture as a postcard sent by a soldier, the date would be 1927/28 when The Second Battalion, The Coldstream Guards and a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment were accommodated in it. The building in the forecourt has a legend across its frontage just below the roof-line which says 'Peninsula Hotel Garage'. The picture caption says it is the first official air-shot of the hotel. As it was serving as a temporary barracks for soldiers preparing for the threat of war with China the opening did not take place until December 1928 after the last soldiers had left in April 1928. Although new, the building now needed refurbishing internally. Another well-known image of the hotel in the book is dated 1928 in the caption, but the temporary forecourt garage has disappeared and the fountain is in its place. Additional pictures show the permanent garage as part of the main building although nowadays accessed via the front entrance drive
re: 1930s Aerial View of TST
T, you're right, it's still a relatively open and empty looking TST in this photo.
IDJ, thanks for the extra information. I'll set the date to 1927 for now.
Regards, David