Looking back Brick Hill

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 22:31

This photo taken 23 May 1954 entitled Looking Back -  Brick Hill looks almost identical to the one just uploaded by T.  What is the strange thing in the foreground?  Could it be something to do with the reservoir?

Regards, Pauline.

 

Date picture taken
23 May 1954

Comments

Hi there,

The object might have been one of the ventalition shafts of a forward dressing station, or a pillbox.  However this photo appeared to be taken a bit futher back from where I stood while taking my photo.  There is still what left of a forward dressing station a bit up, also along the Lady Clementi's Ride.  Mine was taken at the whitish area just a bit south of the marker of the pill box.

You may take a look at the markers around the Aberdeen Reservoir here.  Look for the three by the right most.  The two above the catch watcher are the two mentioned.  If you zoom out, you should be able to see they are relatively along the same line of sight.

Best Regards,

T

Thanks T.  If you look closely it certainly does look like a ventilation shaft doesn't it, and I guess that makes sense if there was a pill box and a dressing station close by,  I was misled by what appears to be a pipe!

Do you know where Lady Clementi's Ride got its name from?  It sounds as if there's a bit if history there.

Best Regards,  Pauline.

 

Hi there,

The pipe in the foreground might be part of the shaft as well.  Anyway, Sir Cecil Clementi was a HK Governor.  The Lady was his wife and both of them like riding.  There is yet another path called Sir Cecil's Ride also on Hong Kong Island.   The two foot paths were name after the Governor and his wife.

Part of the Lady Clementi's Ride had become over grown these days as it would be easier to  follow the catch water instead turning down a to muddy and slippery path.  My last venture along that way I got cobwebs on my face.  Mind you some of the spiders are quite big.  

Best Regards,

T

It looks like a pipeline running down the hill, and the square structure has a manhole cover on top. So maybe an inspection point for the pipeline, or some sort of valve that can be opened / closed?

There's a similar pipeline running across the background of another photo in this series:

Deep Water Bay

I'm not sure if it's a coincidence, or if their path followed the pipeline?

Regards, David

Hi there,

There is actually a pipeline running approximately along part of the Lady Clementi's Ride.  Sometimes lower down the slope. sometimes higher, sometimes underground.  Part of it ran across the Ride like a bridge just a bit below the pillbox.  If what's shown in the photo is a section of this pipeline then it would be unlikely to be a manhole cover.  Instead it might be a cover for a valve.  Yet the vavle might still exist.

I have use the Hong Kong Map service using the 1:10,000 map search and indeed, it shows the pipeline runs with a path of its own.  According to the map this pipeline ends or starts in Wanchai Gap.  It is a solid thin line on the map so it is very easy to recognize.

Whatever it is, I wonder if this pipeline has anything to do with the pillboxes and the forward dressing station along the way.

Best Regards,

T

Hi T, I looked on the Geoinfo, and can see there's a valley with a pipeline that runs down from near where Lady Clementi's Ride leaves the reservoir, and hits Wong Chuk Hang Road just west of The Grantham Hospital. Is that the same one you're thinking of?

Regards, David

Hi there,

Been to the ride earlier today and confirmed, there are quite a few pipelines there.  However in a few occasions there are white acrylic pages slapped onto them with the Drainage Department logo so I guess those are part of the drainage systems for the houses up the various slopes.  Some of the pipes are quick big.  Approximately eight inches diameters by eye-sight, but need a proper measurement to confirm.  May next time.

Best Regards,

T

Hi T,

Thanks for all the feedback about the pipeline, I obviously know nothing about the area at all so anything that you come up with is of interest to me.  Do you think the pipe in the hiker's photo is connected with those in my photos or do you think there was a network of them?  Watch out for those giant spiders!!

Regards Pauline.