The Peak Church / Peak Chapel [1883-c.1958] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

The Peak Church / Peak Chapel [1883-c.1958]

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Submitted by David on Sat, 2009-12-26 21:28
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
1883-06-17
Date Place demolished: 
c.1958-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)

Wikipedia notes that 'it held its first service in June 1883'. It 'was destroyed by a shell during World War II and not rebuilt', though the land wasn't given back to the government until the lease expired in 1958. It's not clear if any part of the building was still standing during 1945-58.

Read more at the Wikipedia page, or visit this page which also has photos and an old map of the area.

Tags: 
church
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Comments

Submitted by tngan on Tue, 2009-12-29 11:56.

Hi thee,

After zooming in, I wonder, would the rectangular structure near the marker in the woods be the ruins of the church?

Best Regards,

T

Submitted by David on Tue, 2009-12-29 16:30.

Hi T, Wikipedia again: "The location, Rural Building Lot 23, is now a public playground near the Peak Fire Station on Peak Road opposite Bluff Path (百祿徑 in Chinese)." So maybe it's the playground you can see in the satellite view.

Regards, David

Submitted by annelisec on Wed, 2009-12-30 21:04.

The "rectangular structure" is a public basketball court with a fence around it so your ball does not roll down the hill.

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2010-01-02 10:28.

Hi,

I'm the author of the Wikipedia page.  There are more photos at http://stanleymarket.org/PeakChurch.htm

The Public Records Office has a high-res photo at:

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/object?svc=objrtv&src=CM&itemid=H1N99M...

 

Submitted by gw on Wed, 2014-02-19 08:44.

Last weekend I visited the site of the old Peak Church or Chapel, which is now a playground.

Site of Peak Church

This is the view from its eastern end. A wall with a smooth, newly painted, inner surface runs around the side of the playground facing downhill. Inspection of the outer side of the wall reveals its actually an old stone wall standing ontop of an old stone-faced platform running the entire length of the playground.

Site of Peak Church

I presume this is the original platform upon which the old Church once stood.

Submitted by Tideswell27 on Mon, 2017-04-24 07:08.

it was the Gwulo article on the Norwegian Pastor Neilson that provided the link to this page. Pastor Neilson used to preach at this church to the Norwegian community of HK before the war.

I recently had the pleasure of taking another Norwegian, Audun Urke and his young daughter Sofia, to Stanley and we visited St.Stephen's College. Audun is very interested in the history of Stanley Camp as his grandfather was a merchant seaman who was interned in Stanley. (His grandfather was the First Mate of a Norwegian ship which put into HK for repairs in November 1941, and which could not be completed before the Japanese invaded the following month).

Audun has visited HK (and Stanley Camp) a number of times  and knows a great deal about the internment. I was able to take him to St. Stephen's chapel and show him the silver cross there, which used to be housed in this Peak church and which was found by a lady Peak resident in the rubble of the building when it was destroyed.

She took it with her into Stanley when she was interned and there it remains to this day - with the story of how it ended up there inscribed on the back. 

Submitted by moddsey on Mon, 2017-04-24 19:19.

HK Daily Press 18 June 1883

The Peak Church opened for service on Sunday, 17 June 1883.