Original Quarry Bay School [1926- ]

Submitted by annelisec on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 10:50
Current condition
In use
Date completed

Grade III, listed historic building

From Facebook Group

"Quarry Bay School , The First One on Kings Road Hong Kong"

It was originally built by The Taikoo company (Swire ) for the children of the ex-pat workers in Taikoo Dockyard.

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Photos that show this Place

Taikoo
1929
Taikoo Sugar Refinery
1929
QBS French teacher 1930s (1)
1931

Comments

" ...allocation of the former Quarry Bay School premises to the Social Welfare Department a first step towards their implementation is being taken: this institution will be fitted out and used as a probation home for young offenders below the age of fourteen, thus permitting consequential changes to be made in other institutions ... "

LegCo 1981

"Six existing correctional/residential homes operated by the Social Welfare Department will be merged: the Ma Tau Wai Girls' Home, the Pui Chi Boys' Home, the Begonia Road Juvenile Home, the Fanling Girls' Home, the Sha Tin Boys' Home and the O Pui Shan Boys' Home.

(Government Press Release 2006)

 

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Submitted by
vanessa (not verified)
on
Thu, 01/28/2010 - 17:48

it was actually still active school year 1978/9 and run by esf as my brother attended year 6 there.

 

Quarry Bay Junior School was built by Messrs Little, Adams & Wood and began operating with the beginning of the school year in September 1926. It started off as a school  built for the workers children of Taikoo Dock and Taikoo Sugar  The school motto was Labore et Honore. The motto can be seen engraved above the ground floor doorway to the main building.

Counting the steps from King's Road

Quarry Bay Junior School Steps

 

School looking west.

Quarry Bay School Building (west)

 

School looking east

Quarry Bay School looking east

 

School motto

Quarry Bay School Motto

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Submitted by
DBHKer (not verified)
on
Mon, 05/30/2011 - 15:50

Fantastic memories of this school. I attended there from 1975-1980 under Miss McKenzie. As well as the steps, I have vivid memories of the adventure playground, losing countless balls over the fence, school assembly, rounders (lost balls again), the humidity and the funny smell of the drains(!!).

DBHKer

My goodness, I always thought those stairs were wide but I guess we were just shrimps when we were at school! That photo of the stairs show just how narrow the stairway actually was!

We used to race up and down those stairs twice a day ... no wonder I've had both knees replaced in my dotage - LOL!

 

quarry bay was the first school I attended in HK in 1951(all of 6 years of age)My memories mainly were of constantly being inoculated or vaccinated against small pox typhoid diptheria yellow fever& what ever else was going around

One of my class mates of the time was Madeline o'connel who now lives on the Isle of Skye &is still in touch(60 years later)

In1941 there was a fair bit of war time action going on in that area & I recall being evacuated from the school because one of the kids came across several hand grenades in the school grounds

It is good to see the school is still there & hopefully will be preserved for posterity

e)

Moddsey,

Quarry Bay School was not originally a Government School. It was originally built for the workers children of Taikoo Dock and Taikoo Sugar and in the evenings it was used for classes in subjects related to the Dock and Sugar Refinery. When Taikoo Village was built, a new Taikoo School was built along with it and the original school moved to those premises (which subsequently moved to Greig Road and then onto Kings Road). QBS then became the school for the Expat children of the refinery and docks. However, we also allowed interlopers from outside the world of Taikoo as well.

Regards Geoff

A slide that my father took of us racing down the stairs from QBS into the arms of the popsie man, no doubt  wink

1954 running down the steps of Quarry Bay School
QBS.1.jpg, by Nona

Facsimile not great unfortunately but anyone here wants to own up knowing who this girl is? Perhaps a gwulo reader? 

Maybe someone in this class photo of 1953?

quarry bay school girl the china mail page 12 19th december 1953
quarry bay school girl the china mail page 12 19th december 1953, by eurasian_david

"A small girl of the Quarry Bay School, all dressed to take part in a Christmas play, receiving a prize from Mrs W. Stoker at the school's annual speech day last week. (Staff Photographer)."

Source: The China Mail, page 12, 19th December 1953 

Like someone else who commented, I always remember those stairs being so much wider ! 
I attended from 1965-1968 and looking at those photos of the playground area and school really brought back the memories. Pretty sure Miss McKenzie was the principal when I was there, in fact she use to pick me up from our flat in The China Fleet Club on the 5th floor and drove me to school during the riots in 1967 or 68  

I also remember a football field across the road where my dad use to be a coach. 
 

 

Went there 1946/7 before moving to CBS. Lived opposite side of the road on far side of the Nulla at Davie Boag and  comany Godowns. Many friends from Taikoo Docks,  Happy days

I went to QBS, Sept 62 - Mar 65. We stayed at 61 Leighton hill Flats. A bus took 25 of us every morning and back every afternoon. Miss McKenzie was probably there. Names.

I remember all the names Frasers, Filchies, Birches, Luxtons, Cottons, Grimets, Ashbies, Ladds, Toppley and Conway.  There were many many more. 

We came back after 6 months leave and to lived on the Peak at 19 Mt Austin Mansions . 

I still write and receive a  Christmas card from Miss Pauline Young. She was headmistress of Peak School. My mother kept in touch with her.

Most of us went to boarding school after junior school . Came home every summer and met up with school friends at the LRC, Ladies Recreation Club, or Fanling Golf Club. 

We have friends, not next door but all over there world. 

Once I was sitting waiting for a connecting flight in Abu Dhabi Airport and bumped into Mrs Alexandra. My form teacher from Peak School. What a serendipitous moment . I could have been an hour later and I would have missed her. 

Many more names at Peak School also. Whitehead, Gates, Adams...Penman, Lamb. Vebica Jones.

Does anyone remember our school reading book was " Stig of the Dump "

 

The photo of the children coming down the steps brings back memories indeed. Racing up and down them was the highlight of the day! I went to QBS from 1958 to 1961. I seem to remember Miss Templeton was the headmistress and Mrs Springall (?) was our music teacher. Please correct me if I'm wrong.  Having sailed out to Hong Kong onboard the SS Canton (P&O) in 1958, I was allowed to watch from the classroom as she left Hong Kong harbour for scrapping few years later. Of the names mentioned by Gwygai I can only remember Luxton. Stephen Luxton was a good friend of mine. I remember sports days at the HK stadium, certainly on at least 3 occasions, 1958, 1959 and 1960. There was also a visit by Princess Alexandra one year and the school performed a road safety sketch for her again at the HK stadium.