Kowloon Panorama - c.1860

Submitted by annelisec on Thu, 09/30/2010 - 22:53

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 Credit: Wellcome Library, London

The Anglo-French military encampment at Kowloon, Hong Kong, with their naval fleets in the harbour, March 1860, prior to their assault on Beijing

Photographs by Felice Beato

http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/indexplus/result.html?_IXMAXHITS_=1&_IXACT…

Photo A

Photo B

Photo C

Photo D

Photo E

Photo F

    Wonderful photo sequence. Where was it taken from and could someone in the know perhaps tag salient points.

                             cheers Rich.

 

 

 On the Chinese Web Forum, the guys have gone to a lot of trouble to put forward their theories as to where the photo was taken from. I'm inclined to go with the Ho Man tin Hill position, up behind the old KCR Workshops, in the area of:- 22,18',42.71N and 114, 10',44.36E ...Which today is the Oi Man Estate.

The reason I believe it to be here is the alignment of a small Island just off-shore with Rumsey Rocks and Kellett Island. The very large rock in PhotoOne should still have been around in the  fifties. If I've got it right, there was a very large squatter- hut fire up there in the early fifties and perhaps photos of that area may reveal the rock as it seemed to relatively undeveloped hill.

I saw a copy of the photos (in a very good conditions, with higher resolutions, appears seamless) in the Castle Peak Power Station B, in the former Station Manager's office more than 10 years ago. It was in a size about 1.5feet height x7 feet long. But then I never saw the picture again.

I'm interested in these photos because I found the view is so much similar to those outside my home windows. I'm now live in Lok Fu.    

I would say these photos were taken on a hill top water reservor, now called Lok Fu Park, Fu On Street. i.e. the popular panorama view site for seeing planes' landing to Kai Tak Airport before 1997. (In my opinion, the Ho Man Tin hill already shown in the photo.)