This started with a photo from Sean Olson's family collection, with a handwritten note "Taken at Cherry Ole Fan Ling. Spent a week there with friends. Just off for a game of golf."
This is another picture I came across from my great aunt Ethel Olson's collection. She notes on the back: ""Taken at Cherry Ole Fan Ling. Spent a week there with friends. Just off for a game of golf." Seems like the sort of place that somebody might know about.
We couldn't find any trace of it on the internet, til reader eatsee found the answer through some good research:
is this ths same building?
http://www.crystal.com.hk/c_folder/article/UploadFolder/Enchi%20lodge-4.jpg
source:http://www.crystal.com.hk/c_folder/article/list.asp?id=1053)
if so, it was called the lena lodge and was put on auction in 1972:
see this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56067913@N02/5187362187/
this is an aerial photo but the facade of the structure matched the cherry ole, so I looked for lena lodge and found that it has changed its name to enchi lodge and is still preserved by and large very good, it was claimed to be a grade 2 monument but I think now it was sold to a private developer crystal.com)......sheer luck in this search. Hope john olson will be happy about my efforts.
Phil also noted that it is visible in Google Streetview:
Photos that show this Place
Comments
Additional notes from 80skid:
eatsee, great job working that out. full details from government's historical appraisal below. the building and stables were graded 2 in august.
Enchi Lodge Castle Peak Road, Kam Tsin Tsuen, Sheung Shui, N. T. Enchi Lodge (恩慈之家) (Lots 717 & 718, 2158RP in DD92) is a pre-World War II building in Sheung Shui. Probably built around 1921, it was first used by Jardine Trading Co. as a staff clubhouse. Later on, a man named Zhang Gongrang (張公讓), who may have been a general of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Guomindang, 國民黨), bought the Enchi Lodge and lived there when he came to Hong Kong. Mr. Zhang employed the villagers living in Kam Tsin Tsuen and he left Enchi Lodge before the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. During the Japanese Occupation, Enchi Lodge was used as a Japanese military quarter and a hospital for Japanese soldiers.
After World War II, it was used for various purposes. In the 1950s-60s, Enchi Lodge was rented for film-making. Mr. Leung Sing-bo (梁醒波), who was a famous Cantonese opera artist in Hong Kong, has performed in Enchi Lodge. In 1967, Enchi Lodge was occupied by a number of foreigners and used as a private villa. Moreover, Enchi Lodge had once been rented to San Miguel Brewery Limited during 1969-1971.
Since 1991, Enchi Lodge has been (and still is) used as a drug addiction treatment centre run by the Drug Addict Counselling and Rehabilitation Service (DACARS, 得基輔康會), which was formed by a group of pastoral, medical, legal and social work professionals in early 1988. The name “Enchi Lodge” was assigned by DACARS in 1985. “Enchi” (恩慈) literally means favour and kindly affection given by God.
Historical Interest The compound comprises a two-storey main building and a small one-storey pitched roof building at the rear. A covered path connects the two buildings. The architecture of Enchi Lodge can be described as countrified Italianate with an admixture of Arts & Crafts and Art Deco features. The style evokes the country villas of Tuscany and Umbria with its primitive arched ground floor of rough stonework and its white painted upper storey of stucco-work. Projecting curved bays with balustraded balconies, full height stone angle buttresses, and a Roman pan-tiled roof with projecting eaves complete the picture. The interior floor plan is set on a central axis with central halls or rooms flanked by side rooms used for various purposes.
The ancillary block is situated to the north of the main building. This is a single storey building with a pitched roof of Chinese tiles and used to be the stables of the riding school. Inevitably, due to the many uses to which Enchi Lodge has been put, there have been alterations such as installation of aluminium windows and new floor finishes. Externally, however Enchi Lodge retains its distinctive architectural style which is very rare in Hong Kong. As such, it has obvious built heritage value.
Its social value lies in the rehabilitation service it provides to drug addicts. Locally it is known as “Tai Koo Lau”(太古樓) by the villagers in Kam Tsin Tsuen, but Enchi Lodge has never built up a close relationship with the local inhabitants who pay little attention to the activities there. As Enchi Lodge and its ancillary block are being utilized for a useful purpose, the question of adaptive re-use does not arise at the present time.
Also four phots here, including one similar to Olson's above. Really not changed much ... items 420 and on
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Monument/form/AAB-SM-F-Aa.pdf
It's funny, but I've actually passed this place twice before in a taxi. But because the lower ground is hidden from view on Castle Peak Road, there is no way I was going to recognise it. Seeing the streetview version above it jogs my memory.
In fact, I believe both David and myself went past it last year whilst in a cab on the way to Ki Lun Shan last year :-)
I can only say thanks and marvel at all of the knowledge that you all seem to have.
Another mystery solved!
If i could only trace an ancestor of my great grandmother Ching Ah Fung I would have nearly all the jigsaw. Afraid that is not likely though.
Thanks again to all.
Sean
Alexander, thanks for writing - it's always great to hear from people who've lived in the places we're just looking at in photos.
You wrote:
Would love to go back and actually see more of it as I'm staying in Johor Bahru, Malaysia??
Could be worth writing to DACARS at Enchi Lodge, Castle Peak Road, Kam Tsin Tsuen, Sheung Shui, N. T.to see if they'd be able to arrange a time for you to visit.
Regards, David
Comments
Cherry Ole
No sign of this on the internet, though maybe this wasn't the official name of the building? It's a good sized building, but zoom in to the window frames and it's looking a bit scruffy around the edges.
I've made a place for the Fanling Golf Course, to give a rough idea of where this might have been.
Location confirmed
Thanks to eatsee for tracking this down, and for the extra information from philk & 80skid.
I've made a Place for this building and moved your comments over to it.
Lena Lodge 1966/7
This house, Lena Lodge brings back fantastic memories for me, I got married in Kowloon whilst service in the British Royal Military Police and managed to Rent the house from a Mr & Mrs Slack for a short period of time. Had to move out when the British £ was devalued but much to my annoyance was informed by the owners I could have stayed the Rental fee was not required just someone trust worthy to look after the property when they were away in Hong Kong. My daughter, Elaine Ann was born there and had her very first Chinese Meal in a Resturaunt in Fan Ling Called then the "Better Hole" owned by a Chinese guy we called "POP" who was great to. Went back in 2010 and although I managed to get inside was not allowed to go inside the house....A great pity!! Never the less was fantastic to see it was still standing. Would love to go back and actually see more of it as I'm staying in Johor Bahru, Malaysia??
Enchi Lodge
I beleive that this is a Grade 2 building in HK, and is now called Enchi Lodge, located on Castle Pak Road in Kam Tsin. The building was built in 1921 for Jardine Trading Company as a staff clubhouse. Later it was purchased and lived in by Zhang Gongrang (who may have been a general in the Chinese Nationalist Party). During the Japanese invasion of HK, the building was used as a Japanese military quarters and hospital for Japanes soldiers.
re: Enchi Lodge
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for posting. You can read some more notes about the Enchi Lodge at the 'Place' page for the building:
http://gwulo.com/node/7534
If you see a photo on Gwulo and want to check if we've got more information about any of the buildings shown, it's worth checking the "Places shown in this photo:" section. They're not always filled in, but worth a look.
Regards, David