Walked by this site yesterday. It seems to be works in progress. The buildings are still there, but the concrete fences are partially demolished. Both gates on #14 & #14A are locked, but the building at #14A still looked tidy, unlike #14, which is clearly a mess.
There must have been a fabulous view from their house at the very top of Fa Peng. When they come out the house and stand pointing things out, they are looking over the whole island to the west.
I'd be interested to know where this sequence was shot showing three other properties. There is a view of a distant island at 2.13.
Update to answer my own question: The sequence was shot from House 14. Distant island is Lamma Island.
Early 20th century build, there are some differences compared to other houses. It was built sometime before 1924, and there is a historic building notice on it. It carries the name Tao Yuen, and there was a 75-year lease granted on the lot from 11 July 1898.
Number 14 is at the very top of Fa Peng and is built on a substantial raised platform with granite walls. The land falls away on all sides, and because of its position, the house is visible on all photographs taken from the west side of the island.
The house walls are rendered granite and all its windows are metal framed. Originally they hadtop-hinged shutters to secure them.
There are two bedrooms, each with a bathroom, either side of a lounge diner with old electric ceiling fan. This is similar to the description of House 10.
A passage leads to an annex kitchen and there is a separate domestics' cabin at the rear.
There is a rear entrance from the footpath running along the north of the site.
The roof is reinforced concrete with a shallow pitch, and the floors tiled concrete.
The house is south facing, and, but for the surrounding vegetation, would likely have had all-round views of the island.
Perhaps the finest part of the site is a Chinese pavilion (see tngan's photo) situated at the front, with Chinese-stylebalustradedsteps and footpaths with ornaments, panels, pierced screen walls, and green-glazedChinese roof tiles. All next to an ornamental pond.
In the 1938 list of European owners, the owner of this property is given as Mr J C Mitchell, who may be this J C Mitchel, but spelled differently.
In 1939 the occupant was Edward Lockwood and family, who may have been guests of the owner (see moddsey's post below for more info).
From 1957 to 2000, the Tsang family owned it, of Tsang Fook Piano Company Limited.
In 2001 it was owned by Active Horse International Ltd.
Note: For a long time the group of houses on Fa Peng seemed unknowable and impregnable. But one of them held the keys that would unlock not just it but the others round it. That was House #14. The two videos on it were the solution to House #14 plus Houses 12A, 13, 14A and 15. Fa Peng was opened up.
The Lockwood Home Movies can be searched on YouTube. Unfortunately, the video of Cheung Chau is the only one uploaded pertaining to Hong Kong. Edward Lockwood is seen with his second wife, Muriel Elizabeth Lockwood (nee Webb) and daughters Dorothy (born in 1928, died in 1959) and Anne (born in 1933, died in 2017).
His full name was Edward Harrison Lockwood but was better known as Edward H. Lockwood. He was the General Secretary of the Canton Y. M. C. A. and had very close ties with the provincial government.
I think the Lockwoods were guests of the owner(s) of the Cheung Chau house seen in the video.
All the water heating apparatus in House 14 begs the question - How were all the houses on top of Fa Peng (and elsewhere) supplied with water? They went for the high points on the island, so that would imply confidence in a water supply.
We know there were wells on the island. We know that from 1913 there was electricity on the island and from 1955 water was supplied from Lantau, but what about before then?
We have three options:
1 It was carried up Fa Peng.
2 Houses had water capture systems. The roofs of Houses IL52,17 and 17A had flat roofs with perimeter edges, which look ideal, but there is no evidence of water storage provision.
Comments
Re: European House #14
Hi There,
Walked by this site yesterday. It seems to be works in progress. The buildings are still there, but the concrete fences are partially demolished. Both gates on #14 & #14A are locked, but the building at #14A still looked tidy, unlike #14, which is clearly a mess.
T
Fabulous view
There must have been a fabulous view from their house at the very top of Fa Peng. When they come out the house and stand pointing things out, they are looking over the whole island to the west.
I'd be interested to know where this sequence was shot showing three other properties. There is a view of a distant island at 2.13.
Update to answer my own question: The sequence was shot from House 14. Distant island is Lamma Island.
Historic Buildings
Tao Yuen, No 14 Fa Peng Road, Main House and Annex Block are listed here as historic buildings, built before 1924.
1938 list
In the 1938 list of owners of properties on Cheung Chau, the owner of House 14 is given as Mr J C Mitchell.
I would suggest this might be this J C Mitchel (Rev J C Mitchel, missionary). It's a different spelling, but other typos exist eg Dr Cleft.
House 14 Overview
[Updated 14/11/25]
Early 20th century build, there are some differences compared to other houses. It was built sometime before 1924, and there is a historic building notice on it. It carries the name Tao Yuen, and there was a 75-year lease granted on the lot from 11 July 1898.
Number 14 is at the very top of Fa Peng and is built on a substantial raised platform with granite walls. The land falls away on all sides, and because of its position, the house is visible on all photographs taken from the west side of the island.
The house walls are rendered granite and all its windows are metal framed. Originally they had top-hinged shutters to secure them.
There are two bedrooms, each with a bathroom, either side of a lounge diner with old electric ceiling fan. This is similar to the description of House 10.
A passage leads to an annex kitchen and there is a separate domestics' cabin at the rear.
There is a rear entrance from the footpath running along the north of the site.
The roof is reinforced concrete with a shallow pitch, and the floors tiled concrete.
The house is south facing, and, but for the surrounding vegetation, would likely have had all-round views of the island.
Perhaps the finest part of the site is a Chinese pavilion (see tngan's photo) situated at the front, with Chinese-style balustraded steps and footpaths with ornaments, panels, pierced screen walls, and green-glazed Chinese roof tiles. All next to an ornamental pond.
In the 1938 list of European owners, the owner of this property is given as Mr J C Mitchell, who may be this J C Mitchel, but spelled differently.
In 1939 the occupant was Edward Lockwood and family, who may have been guests of the owner (see moddsey's post below for more info).
From 1957 to 2000, the Tsang family owned it, of Tsang Fook Piano Company Limited.
In 2001 it was owned by Active Horse International Ltd.
Note: For a long time the group of houses on Fa Peng seemed unknowable and impregnable. But one of them held the keys that would unlock not just it but the others round it. That was House #14. The two videos on it were the solution to House #14 plus Houses 12A, 13, 14A and 15. Fa Peng was opened up.
Source: Historic Building Appraisal.
This video: .廢墟探險-長洲鬼屋A
Edward Lockwood Home Movies
The Lockwood Home Movies can be searched on YouTube. Unfortunately, the video of Cheung Chau is the only one uploaded pertaining to Hong Kong. Edward Lockwood is seen with his second wife, Muriel Elizabeth Lockwood (nee Webb) and daughters Dorothy (born in 1928, died in 1959) and Anne (born in 1933, died in 2017).
His full name was Edward Harrison Lockwood but was better known as Edward H. Lockwood. He was the General Secretary of the Canton Y. M. C. A. and had very close ties with the provincial government.
I think the Lockwoods were guests of the owner(s) of the Cheung Chau house seen in the video.
Sources and Further Reading
2. Edward H. Lockwood, first wife, Helen (nee Montgomery) died in Canton in 1920. Gravestone in Hong Kong Cemetery: https://www.hkmemory.hk/en/collection_details.html?catalogueRecordId=70019&searchId=93278b1854944ee58dc11df9d393bb96¤tPosition=1&isSearch=true
3. Muriel Lockwood was first married to American missionary, Robert Treman in 1919. Treman died in 1921. See: https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-2016061 She was a keen photographer. The Muriel Webb Treman Photograph Album of scenes and life in China (some of Japan/Hong Kong/Canada) can be viewed at: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl4ic or https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl4ic/x-1/P0000001 (slowly view in limited batches at a time).
4. Obituary of Muriel Elizabeth Webb (was married to Robert Treman, Edward H. Lockwood and Henry Refo): https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L24Q-MP8/muriel-elizabeth-webb-1899-1991
5. Muriel Lockwood Refo's Midwest China Oral History Interviews: https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1072&context=china_histories
6. Obituary of Anne Lockwood: https://medium.com/@ClimateBoomer/the-remarkable-life-of-anne-lockwood-romasco-1933-2017-9fd507564507
Fascinating read
What a fascinating read this was, Moddsey: 6. Obituary of Anne Lockwood: https://medium.com/@ClimateBoomer/the-remarkable-life-of-anne-lockwood-romasco-1933-2017-9fd507564507
The Lockwoods were fellow missionaries in the American Protestant missionary organization at the Chinese YMCA in Canton.
My other observation I will post in the European Reservation thread.
Fa Peng water supply
All the water heating apparatus in House 14 begs the question - How were all the houses on top of Fa Peng (and elsewhere) supplied with water? They went for the high points on the island, so that would imply confidence in a water supply.
We know there were wells on the island. We know that from 1913 there was electricity on the island and from 1955 water was supplied from Lantau, but what about before then?
We have three options:
1 It was carried up Fa Peng.
2 Houses had water capture systems. The roofs of Houses IL52, 17 and 17A had flat roofs with perimeter edges, which look ideal, but there is no evidence of water storage provision.
3 Water was pumped up. When did that start?