I think that this photograph was taken in the 1870's? It shows a building on Queens Road central with Duddell St. to the left of the building?
Does anyone know who was established in the building at the time and who was the photographer?
Many thanks, Andrew
Date picture taken
1870s
Gallery
Shows place(s)
Comments
I've added a link above to
I've added a link above to the page for this building, though sorry I don't know its inhabitants.
The China Directory 1873
Checking through The China Directory for 1873, third annual publication, new series published at the "China Mail" office in 1873. On page a13 under the heading "Ship Compradors & Chandlers" there is an address: Fat Hing, 4, Queen's Road West?
Not sure why the address 4 Queen's Road shows West and not Central, or was there a 4 Queen's Road West as well or maybe the address was changed from West to Central at a later date?
This is the Chartered Bank
This is the Chartered Bank Building at 4 Queens Road, completed in 1878. The building is an almost exact match for the 3rd Generation P&O building built on the praya, later Des Voeux Road, in 1887, I believe the design is in the Italianate style. The architects for the P&O building in 1887 were Bird & Palmer (today called P&T Architects & Engineers Ltd). In 1878 a previous iteration of the firm, then named Wilson & Salway built the Chartered Bank Building. A list of major buildings designed by the firm can be found here
We know the Chartered Bank building was completed in 1878 at 4 Queens Road because of a speech on 16th May 1957 by Mr Small, then manager of the Chartered bank, at the foundation stone laying of the 1959 Chartered Bank building:
By 1878 we had moved to premises at what is now No. 4 Queen's Road, and in 1890, when the lease expired, our nomadic progress continued with a further move to accommodation in Connaught House, on the site of what is now Edinburgh House.
In the 1890s the building was used by the Hong Kong Trading Company Limited. They were general house furnishers according to their sign on the building.
A larger copy of the original
A larger copy of the original photo from the Getty Archive c1880, and anther of the building c1900
1873 photograph query, solved
Herostratus, Many thanks for your imput in identifying the above photograph and a history of the Chartered bank.
I will need to look at Getty images to see if there is a mention of who may have taken this photograph. I understand that there were many photographers with studios located along Queen's Road during the 1880's