Cable & Wireless Station, Hung Hom [1933-c.1967]

Submitted by David on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 12:06
Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
Date closed / demolished
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)

The station appears on a 1964 map of Kowloon (Plate 4-8, Mapping Hong Kong), covering a roughly square piece of land. NW boundary was Chatham Rd, and NE boundary was Winslow St, running between Chatham Rd & Gilles Ave.

There's what looks to be several aerial masts in the same area on a 1947 map (Plate 4-7), though at that time it only covered appx half of the later site.

Can anyone tell us more about when it existed and what it was used for?

Photos that show this Place

Kowloon, Chatham Road, Lo Lung Hang
1945
Cable & Wireless Station, Hung Hom
1952
Cable & Wireless Station, Hung Hom
1953
See more photos of this place

Comments

Hi there,

I believe we could refer to history of KCRC as well as the first Cross Harbour Tunnel for more information.  The radio stations were demolished way before the railway was diverted to Hung Hom and before the nework of flyovers to be used by the Cross Harbour Tunnel back then. 

That section of old Chatham Road does not exist anymore.  The section of Chatham Road had been widened and rebuilt.  Before the Hung Hom Terminus was built the railway turned a bit westward towards the present day location of Hong Kong Polytechnic University after exiting the short tunnel under Homantin.  It passed through their present day soccer field and swimming pool then went towards Tsimshatsui.

The old railway should ran west of the present day Hong Cheong Road flyover, with a live stock depot.  The depot was smelly at best, and smells really bad in a hot and windless day like sometime before last week.

Best Regards,

T

Hello there. 

The station first appeared in 1932 in the Blue Book, p.548 (Ze 6) (http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/b1932/51932041.pdf), marked as under construction. If I am not mistaken, Radio Hong Kong (English ZBW and Chinese ZEK medium wave services) transmit through this Cable & Wireless station from 1932 until 1966/67, which corresponds to 'No. 25: ZBW Broadcasting Station, junction of Chatham Road and Gascoigne Road' on the Kowloon Peninsula on the 1945 map (https://gwulo.com/node/38765#11/22.3200/114.1700/Map_by_ESRI-Markers/100). 

The 1954-55 Annual Departmental Report of RHK [available at The Chinese University] said the New Territories and the south of Hong Kong Island had poor reception, the latter due to 'intervening high ground'. It also noted that: 

'As long as the transmitters are in the present position, i.e. sea level, there is probably little more that can be done to improve the Colony coverage. However, during a survey by the Colonial Office Broadcasting Advisory Engineers, Mr. W. A. Roberts in June, Cable and Wireless engineers cooperated in tests to assess the value of re-siting transmitters on higher ground which gave encouraging results.' 

As for why Cable & Wireless was involved: the company was nationalised by the British government, and the government could certainly use their resources for its own station. Later in 1950, RHK engineering works were outsourced to Cable & Wireless, accoring to RTHK - 50 years: Broadcasting in Hong Kong from 1928-1978. 

I am not sure about the exact time of its demolition, but RHK's 1965-66 Annual Departmental Report should give some clues: 

'As long ago as 1953 it was recognized that the development of Hung Hom area would probably result in the need to remove the medium wave station to a new site... However, the announcement of the proposed construction of a cross harbour tunnel between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon has created a sense of immediacy since the access roads are due to pass very close to the existing transmitting station. [...] The Hung Hom site must be vacated by December, 1967 at the latest.'

Hope that helps. 

There is a book on the history of Hong Kong telecommunication

馬冠堯 - 戰前香港電訊史

https://www.google.com/books/edition/戰前香港電訊史/YsflDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

According to the book:
"Government built a permanent wireless broadcast station at the Hunghom reclaimed land. The contractor is East Mountain Company (東山公司). Construction started end of 1932. It was finished in March of 1933. Two emission towers were also erected in the middle of 1933. In March of 1934, both the old and new emitters broadcasted programmes simultaneously."

 

 

Thanks for the extra information. I've found confirmation in the PWD's Annual reports for 1932:

187.    Wireless Broadcasting Station, Kowloon.—The work consists of the erection of a block of offices and workshops on the Hung Hom Reclamation. The Contract was let to Messrs. Tung Shan & Co. and work commenced at the end of the year.

And 1933:

156.    W/T. Station Hung Hom.—This work was referred to in paragraph 187 of last year’s Report. Good progress was made and the building was completed before Contract time on 10th March, 1933. The masts were erected and Broadcasting Transmitters were installed and worked with satisfactory results.

Expenditure      $40,606.22

I've updated the completion date. 

The 2 air masts or towers were vaguely visible at the south end of the station in that 1949 photo. They may be the only ones at that time. Others were added much later. What is interesting the 3 old buildings at the northwest corner of the junction of Winslow st-Gilles road were apparently still there in 1968. The buildings east of Gilles road were only built around 1956. The whole Whampoa street didn't even exist in 1949.

https://gwulo.com/media/42303