Douglas Villa - IL 151 [1880-c.1922]

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

1889 - US Consulate

Autobiography of an Octogenarian By Robert Enoch Withers US Consul to Hong Kong 1880s http://books.google.com/books?id=05MvAAAAYAAJ&vq=Sece&pg=PA440#v=onepag…

1919 - Dominican Priory

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Photos that show this Place

Panorama from above Conduit Road
1879
Col Mosby Douglas Villa West China Mail, page 2, 16th July 1885.png
1885
Mid-levels from Peak
1925
See more photos of this place

Comments

Annelise has found a description of this building in late 1917 when it was "34 Caine Road, the Central Procure for the great Mission Society of France". 

It comes from the book Observations in the Orient : the account of a journey to Catholic mission fields in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, China, Indo-China, and the Philippines:

The next morning, Monday, as we docked at the foot of the beautiful hill city of Hongkong I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time a priest whom I had long known by correspondence, Pere Robert of the Paris Foreign Missions. One of his assistants, Father Ouillon, was with him and soon we were climbing the steeps of Hongkong to 34 Caine Road ((i.e. this building)), the Central Procure for the great Mission Society of France.

 

As we turned into a delightful but rather neglected old garden and mounted a long flight of steps to a mansion that looked the worse for wear, Father Robert remarked that this had formerly been occupied by the American Consulate. The coincidence was interesting, but after entering I wondered if the stairs were uncarpeted and the walls bare in the Consul's time. I found the spirit of the house delightful and an explanation of its dilapidated

p 183

OBSERVATIONS IN THE ORIENT

state was given the next day when I was brought to the new Procure in process of erection in a more convenient neighborhood. ((the 'French Mission' building at the top of Battery Path))

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The new Procure, which is rapidly nearing completion, will be in every way better adapted to the existing needs than the former house with its spacious corridors and rooms. For its purpose this new Procure has probably the best location in Hongkong elevated, yet easily accessible from the wharves, and at the same time isolated by a great parade ground on one side and a park on the other. It will have accommodation for a score of missioners and will contain a chapel with several altars, also offices and living rooms. The expense of construction
will be met by the sale of the old property.

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Here is an auction for 21st July 1885 of the contents of Douglas Villa West, the residence of Col. Mosby, American Consul. 

Col Mosby Douglas Villa West China Mail, page 2, 16th July 1885.png, by China Mail

Maybe he is leaving Hong Kong imminently and selling his possessions? Proabably the same John S. Mosby who used to work in the U.S. Consulate Blue Buildings in 2 Praya East in 1878 and mentioned in the Principle Residents List of 1884

Some other notes extracted from Historic Building Appraisal N33:

  • 1889 - A plan dated 1889 shows a "French Convent" at this location
  • 1890 - I.L. 151 and I.L. 152A (the lots of land that Douglas Villa was built on) were sold by Douglas Lapraik to the Society of the Missions Etrangères who used it as their headquarters until they moved to No. 1 Battery Path.
  • 191? - The appraisal notes that the Society of the Missions Etrangères moved to No. 1 Battery Path in 'around 1917', but we've got a record saying the new builing wasn't finished until 1919, so it seems unlikely the Society would have moved until then.
  • 1920-21 - the Society sold Douglas Villa to an individual.
  • 1922-23 - The site was re-developed.

I've set the demolition date for Douglas Villas to be c.1922.