Sheung Wan Post Office [1914-1936]

Submitted by whitto on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 03:04
Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
Date closed / demolished

I am interested in the history of the Sheung Wan Branch Post Office

I understand that this establishment was located in the first floor of the Old Harbour Office building in Morrison Street between 1914 and up to at least 1936 - is there any documentary evidence to support this or otherwise ?

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Please can you let us know where you've looked already?

Regards, David

PS I changed your forum post to a "Place", so we can link it to any photos of the post office that turn up.

I haven't seen a map from that period showing a post office there, but it would be a good line of inquiry. Have you tried these resources?

I'd try the old newspapers too - I'm on a slow internet link at the moment, so I can't get to them.

I did take a look through HKGRO, and found this from 24th April 1914, which says:

The present "Western Branch" will in future be known as the "Sheung Wan Branch Post Office".

So if you can find the location of the Western Branch, that would help.

If you think there was work required to remodel the old building into a Post Office, it's also worth checking the Annual Report for the Public Works Department around the time you think it happened, as the work will often be described there.

Let us know what you find,

Regards, David

Source: Government Gazette 2 July 1898

I did do a quick search of the location. Without a proper map from that period, initial impressions are that it was a house no. and may not have been a government buidling. As the Western Branch Post Office handled Chinese mail bound for the river ports in the Pearl River Delta (including Macao), my guess is that it was located close to the Hong Kong, Canton and Macao Steamboat Company's pier, near the Harbour Master's Office.

In 1897, Government had entered into a deal with the HK, Canton & Macao Steamboat Co whereby mail destined for the river ports could be taken on board.

I am somewhat confused by all this, but I thought I should draw attention to "Hongkong - a Brief History and Guide of Hongkong and the New Territories" published by Kelly and Walsh in 1924, which states:

"There are district Post Offices at Wantsai (Queen's Road East), Sheung Wan (Morrison Street), Sai Ying Pun (Pokfulam Road), Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui) and Yaumati (Waterloo Road)."

A map in "Mapping Hong Kong" , dated as recently as 1964, appears to show a Post Office in Morrison Street between the two sections of the Western Market on what I think used to be the site of the Harbour Master's Office.

After some research I can relate that:

The Western Branch Post Office opened on 1 July 1898 at 111 Praya West - this office closed on 17 July 1903.

The Western Branch re-opened on one floor of a house at the Canton Wharf on 1 July 1906.

It moved to the Old Harbour Office in the rear of Western Market north Block on 1 April 1914. I am as yet unsure of when these premises were vacated.

The Western branch Post Office was originally (1898) located at 111, Praya West.

Does anyone know where this would be in Des Voeux Road West today ?