Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club - 1st location [1908- ]

Submitted by annelisec on Thu, 09/02/2010 - 08:42
Current condition
In use
Date completed

Original building of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Proposed for Grade II protection.

 

Wikipedia

Photos that show this Place

1924 Kowloon map - Quadrant 14
1924
4th Submarine Flotilla Rowing Team.JPG
1929
1920s
See more photos of this place

Comments

I wrote to the AMO:

Dear AMO,
 
I am interested in touring the Grade II building on Oil Street.  Can you arrange a tour?
 
Thank you.

-----------------

You may wish to note that the Former Clubhouse of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) is not open to the public. Please refer to the Item 321 (page 212) of the Brief Information on Proposed Grade 2 Items for the information about the historical interest and architectural merit of RHKYC via the following link.

http://www.amo.gov.hk/en/aab.php

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us.

Regards,
Kinpui Lui
for Executive Secretary
Antiquities and Monuments Office

From a previous thread:

David:

Google Streetview:

View Larger Map

80skid:

That  building is the former headquarter and clubhouse of the RHKYC, officially opened on 21 March 1908.   It is a Grade II historic building.  The entire site at 12 Oil Street is on the land sale list if you want to buy it.

Annelisec:

Did the HKCYC build first, and then the RHKYC plop down just next door?

80skid:

Hi, the RHKYC moved from there in 1939 after reclamation made the site useless. According to the AMO, the club negotiated swapping the site for Kellet Island (previously a naval magazine depot according to the club's website):

 "The premises at No. 12 Oil Street were built in 1908. Located within the former Government Supplies Department compound in North Point, they served as the headquarters and clubhouse of the former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC, 前香港皇家遊艇會). The fund-raising campaign organized by the RHKYC to finance the construction proved successful as the members were enthusiastic about the clubhouse. The clubhouse was officially opened on 21 March 1908 by the then Governor, Sir Frederick Lugard.

With subsequent reclamation along the shore of North Point, the clubhouse lost its waterfront location, and had to move to a new base. After prolonged negotiations, the RHKYC was granted Kellet Island to build a new clubhouse. In 1939, the RHKYC moved to its present clubhouse at Kellet Island. After the Second World War, the premises at No. 12 Oil Street were used as a garage and government staff quarters for several decades until 1998. In more recent times, they have been used as a storehouse of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) until late 2007. Nowadays, the premises are vacant."

The building (which is government-owned) is excluded from the land sale. (map on last page of this exhaustive document: http://www.landsd.gov.hk/en/landsale/applist10/IL%208920.pdf)

 
Another view of the site taken in 2003:

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/object?svc=objrtv&src=CM&itemid=BIRHL%2326NC$30CIQ&pid=1&mime=image/jpeg

while this aerial one from 1973 shows how close the old power station was. The older part gives an idea where the original waterfront was, given the club house had a lawn etc:

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/object?svc=objrtv&src=CM&itemid=Q%23N9U9I6E5H%23N@BH&pid=1&mime=image/jpeg

email from the Antiquities and Monuments Office:

The Former Clubhouse of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is now managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, whereas, its maintenance work is taken care by the Architectural Services Department.

 

Hi there,

I was in the neighbourhood last Saturday. I had been wondering if the club house was only the one by the west end, or both.

The gate was locked as expected, but there is a public carpark next door.  So I went into the carpark and took a few snaps from afar.    It's not much as there are three wire fences between me and the club house.  The trees also obscured quite a bit of the view.

 

 

 

At the main gate there is a note saying, if you have important matters concerning visiting the former Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, please contact the security guard or another land line, which is not shown clearly in my photo.  I should have written it down instead.  I will jot it down the next time I walk by and update.  I am uncertain if the security guide speaks fluent English or not.

Best Regards,

T

Oil Street wasn't RHKYC's "first location" (but it was it's first location on Hong Kong side and Oil Street was its first permanent clubhouse and was opened on 21 March 1908 by Sir Frederick Lugard).  It was the second or possibly third clubhouse, the first (and possibly second) was/were on Kowloon side.

It is correct that the Oil Street location is the one immediately prior to its current one though.