Owners of the first Broadwood Road houses 1916-1918

Submitted by jill on Fri, 08/13/2021 - 05:58

I believe I now have the final line-up of the owners/residents of the earliest houses in Broadwood Road for the years 1916-1918. I have added the Gwulo links to their names, so that more of their family stories can be read. It will be apparent that several of the owners were extremely wealthy and that different nationalities and religions are represented. Some families had lived in Hong Kong for several generations and built up their wealth gradually. Whether any of the families would have been entitled to own a house on the Peak, I am not sure. Only William Anderson lived there briefly before moving back to Kowloon. My own grandfather, C.E. Warren, although English, had married a Eurasian woman and would have been debarred from residence on the Peak. Other families had Chinese heritage. There was kinship between the owners of several of the houses. Ivor Gourgey of no. 17 was the nephew of Ellis Kadoorie at no. 11; John Olson of no. 13 was the brother-in-law and business partner of Charles Warren at no. 20; Patrick Murray of no. 7 was related by marriage to Annie Bond of no. 8. The Kews and the Warrens had already been close neighbours in Caine Road in the early years of the century. Alongside the millionaires, some of the Broadwood Road families: Murrays, Walkers, Warrens, Olsons, Walters and Andersons had worked their way up the social hierarchy of Hong Kong from relatively lowly beginnings. Perhaps their descendants have stories to add.

BROADWOOD ROAD OWNERS 1916-1918

Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Hong Kong Land Investment & Agency Co., I.L. 2039. Hong Kong Land Investment & Agency Co. [1889-????]

Nos. 4 & 5 G. K. Hall Brutton I.L. 2060 & I.L. 1911. G K HALL BRUTTON [????-????]

No. 6 Dr F.H. Kew, I.L. 1946. Frederick Howard KEW (aka Fred) [1874-1952]

No. 7 “Murrivillo’, P. H. Murray, I.L. 2136. Patrick Henry MURRAY [c.1866-1927]

No. 8 “Beaumont”, Miss Margaret Annie Bond, I.L. 1947, Section L. Margaret Anne BOND [c.1878-1971]

No. 9 "Belvedere 1", Alfred Joseph Walters, I.L. 1947, Section K. Alfred Joseph WALTERS [????-c.1948]

No. 10 "Belvedere 2", Alfred Joseph Walters I.L. 1947, Section K.

No. 11 Ellis Kadoorie,  I.L. 2133. Ellis KADOORIE (aka Kelly) [1865-1922]

No. 12 Lau Chu Pak I.L. 2123. Chu-Pak LAU [1867-1922]

No. 13 “Ridge House”, J. Olson I.L. 1947, Section H.

 

John 

Olson (2)

  

1884

1951

Male

The house was continuously listed to J. Olson from 1915-1934. 1934 is the last of the Rate Books for Hong Kong “Villages”.

No. 14 “Fareham”, G.W. Gegg I. L. 1947, Section G. George William GEGG [c.1876-1920]

No. 15 “Brinkilly”. Captain Harry Walker and Tomé Walker, I.L. 1947, Section F. Henry Walter WALKER [1865-1940] and Tomé WALKER [c.1878-1944]

No. 16 C. S. Gubbay, I.L. 2128. Charles Sassoon GUBBAY [1868-1941]

No. 17 Ivor Gourgey I.L. 2127. Ivor GOURGEY [ 1884-1973]

No. 18 (originally 19) C. R. Mogra, Edulji Rustomji MOGRA [c.1873-1935] c/o Abdoolrahim “Lyndholme” I. L. 1947 Section B (1916) Abdul Hussein ABDOOLRAHIM (aka Abdoolhoosen) [????-c.1935] and in 1918-19 William Anderson – house name changed to “Gilstead”. William ANDERSON [????-????]

No. 19 “The Cottage”, S. Webb Anderson, I.L. 1947, Section A. William Jenkins WEBB ANDERSON [1870-1933] The initial “S” seems to be an error.

No. 20 “The Towers”, C. E. Warren, I.L. 1947,  (retained portion). Charles Edward WARREN [1872-1923]

No. 21  C. E. Warren, I.L. 1947 Section A.

 

 

 

Hi Jill

I'd be interested to find out which resources you used to find this information. My great-grandparents and grandmother lived first in Central and then on Nathan Rd in a house called Lees Lodge. I am interested to find out more and am not sure where to start.

Best Wishes
Tori

 

 

I should have cited my sources for the Broadwood Road information, which were the Hong Kong Villages Rate Books for 1916-17 and 1917-18. These are held by the Public Records Office and at the time that I consulted them (lastly 2018) could only be accessed in person. 

My start point in finding out my grandparents' addresses was to apply for their death certificates and the birth certificates of their children. This can be done on line through the government website. I'm not sure whether you can now pay the fees by credit card rather than banker's draft. The instructions have been updated. There is an initial fee for the search and a further fee to receive the certificate if the search is successful. 

If you aren't in Hong Kong yourself, then I think this is going to be the best way of verifying the addresses at which your relatives lived. The Land Registry also has a website through which you can establish the ownership history of particular addresses. 

I have my own scans, copyrighted to the British Library, of the Hong Kong Ladies Directories for 1904, 1905 and 1906. These give the addresses of British wives resident in Hong Kong. Come back to me if those years are relevant to your family. 

The Jurors Lists published on this site often give the home address of an individual. However the address sometimes applies only to their company. Very well worth consulting though.

Good luck!

 

Hi Jill

Thanks for your quick response, that gives me a lot to work with and I can see I will have to pop down to the Public Records Office as I am in Hong Kong.

The 1906 Ladies Directory might be a good resource. My grandmother was born in 1908, although I'm not sure when my great-grandparents were married, possibly 1907. My great-grandmother was Ellen McEwen (nee Sampson). I'd be really grateful if you could check the Directory.

Many thanks
Tori

That's wonderful that you are in Hong Kong.

Sadly there is no McEwen or Sampson in the 1906 Ladies Directory, but in the 1884 Ladies Directory uploaded to Gwulo by annlise there is the following. Is this a relative? As the Rate Books are huge, you can only order six at a time. You will be given the index volume to order by ref. no. Ask for Victoria, whichever years you think best. The PRO also have all the Ladies Directories, but they are in the middle of one of the newspapers. I forget which. You have to find them via the microfilm reader. Regarding birth and death certificates, I found it much more effective to go to Immigration in Admiralty, Low Block personally to collect the certificates, if you are in Hong Kong for some time. If something isn't quite right you can then sort it out on the spot. At the time they didn't accept cash nor credit card though.

1884   McEwen  Mrs.  A. P.    Cloudlands      The Peak
1884   McEwen  Mrs.  A. P.    West Terrace

Hi Jill

Thanks so much for sharing and for providing all this detail, I will head down to the PRO.

I'm not sure whether Mrs. A.P. McEwen is related, although McEwen is an unusual spelling of the name and it's more normally McEwan. I know my great-uncle was here before my great-grandfather. My great-grandfather was born in 1872, but of course his brother could have been 10 years older and married by 1884. 

There was a trading company called McEwen, Frickel & Co which was established in the 1860s. I suspect this lady is related to that venture. But unclear as to whether it's a close relative of mine.

I have my great-grandfather's death certificate but unfortunately they didn't put any home address down which is annoying.

Best Wishes and again many thanks
Tori

I would like to know who the occupants were at No. 1 Broadwood Road in 1970s.

I was living at No. 87 Wong Nei Chong Road from late 1950s to mid-1970s. The 6-storey building on Wong Nai Chung Road is still there today. As I was living in the "Rear Portion", I could see a part of St. Margaret's Church (which is situated at No. 2A Broadwood Road) and the whole building of No. 1 Broadwood Road. The Occupation Permit for the current building at No. 1 Broadwood Road was issued in December 1985. So I believe the previous building was demolished in early 1980s, most likely in 1982 or 1983.

The previous building was something like a nursing home for the elderly. There were many Caucasians as well as a few amah-like servants living there. There was also a huge white orchid tree in the backyard. The fragrance of the white orchid flowers is to me something unforgettable. There was also a flock of pigeons raised on the roof, accompanied by a smaller flock of sparrows. I believe many of the pigeons' descendents are now hanging around in Happy Valley near the Craigengower Cricket Club (CCC).

This is just my curiosity, but I would like to know whether the place was in fact "a nursing home for the elderly" or not. If so, what were the nationality of those occupants? British? Russians?

Hi,

 

I am not sure which house was Number One but if you are looking for information about the old colonial style house which was on the corner of Broadwood Road and Happy View Terrace. I can help. As late as 1969-70 it was occupied by a family whose surname was Boocock. Mr Boocock worked for Cable and WIreless/ HK telephone. They had two children whose names, I think, were Barry and Amanda. I went to KGV with them both. Barry was a few years older than me and went out with my sister for some time. It was a magnificent building and I remember being in the living room with an open fire going. My family lived at the top of HVT. I remember the noise when it was demolished to make way for a multi story apartment block which housed many C&W senior staff. I regreat not having any photos. I hope this is of interest to you even if it is not the location you were asking about.

Christopher Watson

 

Thank you so much, Mr. Watson, for responding to my query.

I am afraid the building you referred to is not the one I was looking for. If you can still recall, there is St. Margaret's Church also on Broadwood Road. The church has a small car park in front of the stairway to the Church.  No. 1 Broadwood Road is just opposite to the beginning of the stairway and is located between Ventris Road and Wong Nai Chung Road. I could find many photos of St. Margaret's Church on the web, but none of the opposite side.

Anyway, it was enjoyable for me to know more about the area up there, as I was attending the Primary Section of New Method College in the mid-1960s and had spent some time hanging around Broadwood Road after school playing some primitive "war games" with my classmates.

Also, as I recall, I have not seen any children living there on No. 1 Broadwood Road. That's why I suspected the place was a nursing home or a similar institution, even though there was no signboard of any kind in front of the building.

Once again, thank you for your response.

 

Hi Jimmy

It is always a plesure to chat with anyone who was in HK during those days. I know exactly where number one is now. And we used to attend St Margert's when we were younger. My dad went to mass there every morning until his death in 1974. Just out of curioiusty, I googled the address and got a link to Okay.com, an estate agency. Even though it is NOT for sale, there is a photo and details of the current building which they say is 36 years old. I think it is a shame that those older style of building has vanished for the super high rises. 

Happy to chat about those days with you or anyone else at any time.

All the best. 

 

 

Jill,

thank you for sharing your fascinating research.

My Grandfather Choa Po-sien and Grandmother Felicie Belilios Choa, along with their 11 children lived on 5, Broadwood Road circa 1920-1945.

Did you by any chance come across their name? Please advise. Thanks, 

Simon Johnston

www.simonjohnston.ca

 

Simon

I'm awfully sorry, but none of the photos that I took of Rate Book pages include 5 Broadwood Road for 1920-1945. Nos. 1-5 must have been built earlier and are always listed in a separate section to nos. 7-23. I was interested in the houses that my Warren grandfather had built on I.L. 1947 and focussed on those. I'm sure your grandfather will be listed and maybe even on the same page but lower down and annoyingly just outside my frame. The Rate Books for "Villages" that record Broadwood Road go as far as 1934.

 

 

A. Between 95 Wongneichong (sic) Road and Ventris Road on Right

No. 1-3 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2030

B. Between Link Road and Tai Hang Road

No. 4 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2060

No. 5 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 1911

No. 6 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 1946 "Long Yuen"

(There is no Number 7)

No. 8 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2135 "Beaumont"

No. 9 & 10 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2134 "Belvedere" No. 1 & No. 2

No. 11 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2133

No. 12 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2132

No. 13 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2131 "Ridgehouse"

No. 14 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2130 "Fareham"

No. 15 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2129 "Brinkilly"

No. 16 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2128 

No. 17 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2127

No. 18 Broadwood Road on I. L. Nos. 2126 & 2125 "Gilstead"

No. 19 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2124 "The Cottage"

No. 20 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 1947 (Remaining Portion) "The Towers"

No. 21 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 1947 (Section A.) - no house mentioned

No. 22 & 23 Broadwood Road on I. L. No. 2259

*Continuing on, the next lot no. given at the junction of Broadwood Road and Tai Hang Road was I. L. No. 2838. Not given a Broadwood Road address but listed as 82 Tai Hang Road. (See mention of 24 Broadwood Road). Continuing west on Tai Hang Road was I.L. No. 2478 "May Villa" at 84 Tai Hang Road.

Sources: 1938 Street Index for Broadwood Road on Page 163 or Image 269 and Tai Hang Road on Page 175 or Image 305

 

 

 

 

 

This photo shows the Rate Book record of Broadwood Road owners for nos. 7-21 in the year 1919-20. I deduce the date from the change of ownership of no. 9 dated January 1920. It is annoying that the full list of Broadwood Road houses 1-21, never appears on the same Rate Book page.   In 1919, as "Murrivillo," no. 7 belonged to Patrick Murray, husband of Lucretia née Reed.

As far as this page reflects my own family history, although the joint ownership of no. 13 was dated as changing to the single ownership of J. Olson in May 1916, C.E. Warren continues to appear deleted for no. 13 in the following years. There is no photographic record of my grandparents Charles or Hannah Warren at 13 Broadwood Road, so my assumption is that the property was bought by Warren and Olson, the partners of C.E. Warren & Co. and that Charles Warren bought John Olson out when no. 20, "The Towers" was completed in 1915. I am not sure, however, which year the Warren family moved from "Fairview" in Kowloon. Hannah Warren travelled to England in 1915 and Charles Warren would have had sole charge of his two younger sons while she was away.

I wonder what happened to no. 7, highlighted as missing by moddsey in the Street Index of 1938. No. 7 Broadwood Road (I.L. 2136) is still listed in the 1928 Rate Book. I don't think I photographed any years later than 1928.

 

broadwood rd 7 21 in 1919 1920 0
broadwood rd 7 21 in 1919 1920 0, by jill