Peak Tram - Barker Road without a pavillion

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 20:51
Date picture taken
1900s

Comments

 

For details of the "Peak Depot" click here

1915 Map - Victoria Gap

I contacted the Government about 8 years ago to see if it was possible to lease this building to make it into a museum.  I was told that it was not. 

It appears that since then, it had been allowed to deteriorate further and the windows have been bricked up.

It was Grade II, and they proposed downgrading it to Grade III in the 2009 consultation.

from the Water Supplies Dept

"Adjacent to the Peak Tower, the Peak Depot is located at No. 102, Old Peak Road at the Peak, Hong Kong Island. The Peak Depot, which is a two-storey premise, was built in 1910. It has a history of nearly 100 years and is now classified as Grade II historic building.

In 1877, several expansion projects of Pok Fu Lam Scheme were completed. The government implemented a water supply scheme to the Peak in 1890. The main engineering work included the relocation of the water storage tank from Glenealy to the Peak to cater for residential needs. In addition, it also included the construction of a 3-inch diameter pipe for connecting the Pok Fu Lam Pumping Station and the Peak, and the laying of water pipes on the Peak itself. In 1896, it was recorded that each person residing on the Peak consumed 4 gallons of water a day. To cope with the transport of water to the Peak, the government built the Peak Depot at the Old Peak Road as an office, staff quarters as well as a store for emergency facilities. Currently, the Depot was vacant and its operations ceased."

We'd previously dated this postcard to c.1910, and said it shows Quarndon above the #6 Police Station on the right.

Here's another view of that hillside, showing the Police Station, then Quarndon, then the Mt Austin Barracks:

Peak Tram Upper Terminus
Peak Tram Upper Terminus, by annelisec

So the coloured postcard above was based on a photo taken before Quarndon was built.

I've changed the date from 1910 to 1900, and in Places Shown I've changed Quarndon to be Mt Austin Barracks.

Regards, David