P&O Building 2nd Generation [c.1850-c.1885]

Submitted by Herostratus on
Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)
Date closed / demolished
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)

The name of todays Tit Hong Lane refers to the Iron House of the P&O company, so called due to its elaborate Iron balconies.  

Previous place(s) at this location
P&O Building 1st Generation [c.1845-c.1881]

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Photos that show this Place

P&O Buildings
1879
Panorama from above Conduit Road
1879
vic city mid levels from harbour c1885 panorama chiswichauctions
1885
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Comments

This building was used as temporary premises by HSBC while the bank redeveloped its own building:

From 1882 until 1888, the Bank was accommodated in the offices previously occupied by the P. and O. Company, situated west of the present Central Market, on the corner of Jubilee Street and Des Voeux Road.

Source: p.493, "Old Hongkong" by "Colonial"

The exact location of the first P&O Headquarters Building is still not exactly known.

The “Twentieth century impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China: Wright, Arnold” (1908) refers:

In the early days the Company was known in the Colony as the "Tit-Hong," or Iron House. Their headquarters used to be where Jardine's wharf is now situated, and around the offices was a very handsome iron verandah. It is presumed that the name was derived from this ornamental structure, which now adorns a house on the Peak. These offices were sold and pulled down in about 1881, and the Company moved to the site of the present Central Market. In 1887, however, the ground was sold to the Government, and the Company then moved into its palatial premises at No. 22, Des Voeux Road.

If these facts were correct, the location of the first HQ would have been on Queen’s Road in Sai Ying Poon (near Jardine's Wharf [1885-1981]) – and if I read the text correctly.

A different story is told on the P&O Heritage site. Here a painting of the first HQ building is shown, the caption is “P&O's Hong Kong Headquarters which extended along the present Jubilee Road” [several clicks are necessary: go to the 1840s, then click on the photo].

P&O sailed to Hong Kong from August 1845 onwards, so the building should be from the late 1840s.

Probably P&O should know better than the "Twentieth century", so the building was likely close to the site of the second generation building, but closer to Queen’s Road because the land in front of Queen’s Road wasn’t reclaimed yet. [Herostratus assumed this in his comment above].

Another evidence for this location – at least that the building was on Queen’s Road - gives the THE CHRONICLE & DIRECTORY for 1864:

P&O entry in the chronicle for 1864, by Klaus

The second generation HQ building was likely built on reclaimed land in front of the existing 1st generation building at the new praya (later Des Voeux Road). The year of construction should be c.1860 when the reclamation along the coast of Sheung Wan was completed in 1859. The 1st generation building was demolished in 1881 (if  the "Twentieth century" is correct).

 

Addendum: It would be interesting to know to which house on the Peak the iron verandas from the P&O Building were transferred.

To me, it looks as if the P&O Building 2nd Generation was constructed in the early 1870s because this building is missing in the photo from c.1870 below.

View of Praya (II) c.1870 annotated, by Klaus

The building should appear right (west) of the houses marked as "20".

The 2nd Generation building was set back from the waterfront -there was a yard/square in front of it - the gap can be seen to the right of the 20 in the photo above. If you look at the 1879 photo, 2 Generations of P&0 headquarters can be seen labeled 'at' - the new one on the waterfront and the older headquarters in front of it with a large flag flying to the left. 

Somewhere I have a Floyd photo of the 2nd Generation Headquarters taken from the pier - I will try to dig it up and post it.

I'm a bit unsure of the different generations. I thought that the first building was comparably small and stood close to Queen's Road (so far, we do not have photos of it on Gwulo). 

The second generation was bigger and stood on the waterfront as can be seen below:

Central waterfront (looking east) c.1885, by Klaus

The third generation was further east and opened in 1887. Is that correct?

I looked into this a bit more, and I think you are right that the above building is the 2nd Generation.

The initial 1st Generation building is shown here c1850s:

P&O Headquarters Hong Kong, by Herostratus

Possibly there was a temporary building before this one, but I have no evidence of it. The style of this is similar to other late 1840s HK buildings. I believe this is the building that survived until 1881. Here is a photo attributed to Floyd of the building c1888.

P&O offices, by Herostratus

Although almost nothing of the building can be seen, the pillars/chimneys on the top match the painting and the gardens in front are similar. 

 

The 2nd Generation was built much later directly in front of this one - likely in the late 1870s. Both buildings existed at the same time as the c1879 panorama shows.

P&O Buildings , by Herostratus

If you zoom in, it looks like there is scaffolding around the newer building on the waterfront, but this could be a renovation/repainting rather than construction.  The 2nd Generation building did not last long and P&O moved to its 3rd Generation Headquarters down the waterfront c1887.