1956 Map of Kowloon

Submitted by David on Fri, 04/22/2016 - 12:00

I've just finished adding this 1956 map of Kowloon to our collection. (Show me) <= Click the 'Show me' to update the map above to show the 1956 overlay...

What does it show us about Kowloon in the 1950s?

It's been three years since the big fire at Shek Kip Mei [1], and the move from squatter villages to government housing is in full swing. The first move was to resettlement areas with single-storey "cottages", eg at Ho Man Tin and King's Park (Show me). But by 1956 the government was building newer H-shaped public housing blocks [2]. We can see several at Shek Kip Mei (Show me).

Another big development project is underway at Kai Tak airport [3]. The main map still shows it with the two short, crossed runways (Show me), but in 1956 they were already building the new runway, extending out into the harbour. An inset shows how the airport will look once the new runway is finished (Show me).

The harbour was quite a different place - bigger for starters. Compare the old shoreline of Yau Ma tei (Show me) with today's (Show me) to see how much reclamation there has been. But down in TST the shore is just where it was in 1956, and even three of the five piers from 1956 are still roughly the same size and location today (Show me).

Docks and shipyards are still to be seen around the Kowloon coastline, at Tai Kok Tsui [4] (Show me) and Hung Hom [5] (Show me). And the water was still considered clean enough to swim in, as there's also a bathing beach at Hung Hom (Show me).

I hope you enjoy the map, and that it brings back happy memories if you were in Hong Kong in the 1950s.

If you'd like to get the most from these maps, please watch the short video tutorial. And if you spot anything interesting on the map, please let us know in the comments below.

Finally, many thanks to Andrew Suddaby who supplied the original scanned copy of this map. Unfortunately, he cannot now recall which of his friends in the 367 Association lent the original to him for copying and he apologises to whoever that was for not acknowledging the loan.

Regards,

David

Trivia:

Turning to the map itself, it was drawn at two different scales. The whole peninsula is shown at less detail, then boxes around it show certain built-up areas in more detail. I've cut those more detailed sections from the edges of the map and pasted them onto the main map. You can see the change at Austin Road (Show me). The northern section is what the map of the whole peninsula looked like, then to the south I've pasted in the more detailed drawing of TST.

The tedious part of making the digital overlay is aligning it with the modern map. The 1956 map is roughly accurate, but some places vary considerably from the actual layout on the ground. The worst areas are at the edges of the map, especially around Lai Chi Kok (Show me). See how the old map has to be warped to fit? I guess that the edges of the map were the newly developed areas, and so the least accurately drawn. They're also difficult to align because the area has been so heavily re-developed that the old roads and streams on the 1956 map are no longer visible.

Also on Gwulo.com this week:

References:

  1. Shek Kip Mei fire: http://gwulo.com/node/5846
  2. Resettlement blocks: http://gwulo.com/atom/19434
  3. Development of Kai Tak airport: http://gwulo.com/kai-tak-airport-history
  4. Cosmopolitan Docks: http://gwulo.com/cosmopolitan-docks
  5. Hong Kong, Kowloon & Whampoa Dockyards: http://gwulo.com/node/6667

Comments

Thank you David for aligning the old 1956 map so well onto the modern one.  I hadn't really realised just by how much the shoreline had encroached on the harbour nor was I sure about exactly where the much needed public housing schemes had been built.  When I first arrived in Hong Kong in October 1957 the BOAC Argonaut plane, over three days out of London, landed from the West onto runway 7.  It's landing speed was slow enough for the pilot to weave in between some of the blocks of flats and I distinctly remember people waving at us from their balconies level with the plane.  Leaving, in late August 1958 we took off on the much less spectacular new runway and headed out through the Lye Mun channel and over our old camp at Little (Siu) Sai Wan.  Some of us had very mixed feelings about leaving what had probably been the most fascinating posting in the R.A.F.  Andrew

Very impressive David.  I notice that on the old map, the mapmaker had named Carmel Village as "Garmat Village".  Today there is a Carmel Village Road around where "Garmat Road" was.  Is that simply a transcription or translation error, or did Carmel become the new name that came into usage later?

breskvar

P.S. after some extra eyeballing, there are many spelling errors in the English names dotted all around the map.  For example Liberty Street became "Liberity Street", Exeter House up near the Lion Rock Tunnel became "Exester House", Mission Road became "Misson Road", Stirling Road became "Stiling Road", Lomond Road became "Romand Road" etc. etc.

Thanks Andrew, glad you liked it.

Breskvar, yes, lots of spelling errors in the English names on the map. Bill Griffiths points out another:

great map....and actually shows the British Army 33 General Hospital ( off Prince Edward Road ) although it is marked as 33 CENTRAL Hospital
This is where I was attached for three years...1955..1957...and I lived on P E Road...for quite a long time....
The first time I have seen this on a map

Regards, David

Hi there,

I suspect the 1956 map might not be published by the Government.  Back in those days before Chinese language become an official language in the Government, map making by Government Departments would likely be primarily in English.

T

I just checked the map to see if there was any printer's name on the bottom edge that I'd cropped off. It doesn't show any, but I agree this would have been a commercially produced map, not a government publication.

Regards, David

That is wonderful, I can almost pick out the billet I was in at RAF Sek Kong in 1956 / 57 and all the other familiar places that were 'home' to me. Thank you, Derry Martin.

Greetings.  This map contains multitude of information corresponding to my time living in Shum Shui Po.  Thank you Andrew for the red dots showing locations of unidentified theatres which I have also attended - Castle Peak and Tonkin, Pei Ho and Fuk Wing, Lai Chi Kok and Shek Kip Mi, Tong Mi and Lai Chi Kok, Nathan Road and Nullah, Lai Chi Kok and Aran.  The last one was fairly new built about 1953.  There, uncle and I shared the same seat with one ticket (quite common then) watching a movie about Superfortress B-29.  There was one east of Tai Kok Tsui Road whose name and location I can't remember perhaps readers can help.   Of all the ferry docks, the one off Shan Tung provided ample space for fishing which was too small and polluted for food.  But the fun was worth the long walk there.  Regards,  Peter   

Greetings, David.     http://hktaorg.com/en/hist_inner.php?id=14   This list of  218 theatres (6 pages) prepared by Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd. is likely a good start.  There are other lists when I did an internet search  I am surprised there were many other theatres in my neighbourhood some no doubt before or after my time living there.

The theatres are listed in alphabetical order in English, and Chinese names which are how we seniors remember them.  Their addresses are in Chinese so for knowledgeable locals they are easy to locate on a map. Those mentioned by streets, community/business blocks or "Central Library" may need some research.

My thinking is that the locations be shown in a separate current map dedicated only to theatres so that they don't get crowded with other places of interest.  Regards, Peter