AC-Studio has a great shot of Happy Valley taken around 1950 I guess. In the foregound is Tung Lin Kok Yuen, a Buddhist nunnery and school built in 1935, and the Jewish cemetery, together with its little chapel. The graveyard was first laid out in 1851 and expanded some 50 years later. All of those are still there. In the distance is Blue Pool Road. The houses lining the far side of the road have long gone; those who know the area will recognise it as the long-empty spot above the bordering granite wall where construction has recently started on a residential development.
Interestingly you can see areas just below the road that look like they're cleared for squatter housing or small vegetable plots, this can still be seen above one of the tunnel portals below the road today. You can also see a path wandering steeply up the hill to Broadwood Road. I'm guessing the year.
80sKid
Source: This image came from Flickr, see https://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=4307959250
Comments
Re: Happy Valley
Hi there,
There used to be a roll of quarters of HKJC stable hands along the Blue Pool Road slopes before the Shatin course was inaugurated. One of such blocked had been converted to a school for the children of the stable hands back then. I guess by cross examination of these could have a bit more information for dating the photo.
Best Regards,
T
Re: Happy Valley
Hi there,
I compared the photo with a 2008 street map and try to remember the scenery back in the late 1960s and earky 1970s. The photo might have been taken at Bowen Road near the bent close to Stubbs Road.
I am unable to find anything about the HKJC Quarters yet, but there had been some news clips talking about a HKJC private primary school, which was converted from one of those quarter blocks back in 1955. This former school building still exist today and appeared to be in rented to a UNICEF organization.
In the photo, the Po Kok Girls School/Tung Lin Kok Yuen stood on the junction of Shang Kwong Road and Tsui Man Street. Tsui Man Street is the big gap running from the lower left corner towards the centre of the photo.
The former HKJC primary school was on Blue Pool Road running down the slope and ends on Hip Wo Lane and Cheung Ming Street. This block does not exist int he photo. I believe the photo pre-dated the HKJC quarters. Since the HKJC primary school block had been there in 1955 and it used to be one of the quarters block, the photo should be taken much earlier than 1955.
Best Regards,
T
Present Day Blue Pool Road, former Stable Hands quarters/school
Hi there,
I walked by Blue Pool Road yesterday and took these photos:
1. The sole remaining old quarters building at #58 Blue Pool Road;
2. The former school building at #60 Blue Pool Road, which is now occupied by Unicef & the Hong Kong Ballet;
A few steps up from #60 is the Horseshoe Tower, with the logo of the Jockey Club all over the gate. A check through Google revealed it is tagged by property agents around. Don't know exactly if the Horseshoe Tower has anything to do with stable hands or not.
Best Regards,
T