Very unusual angle. Zoom in to see the Peak Police station with the white patch below it and to its left. Mt. Kellett is upper right. Slemish and Cheltondale up and to the right of the Police station.
Thank you so much for this photo. My grandfather (in law), Francis Leslie Ball, lived in 364 (next door). We have had some difficulties tracking down photos in the area near to the house.
As Annelisec has already pointed out, a large patch of light coloured earth is lying on the slope in front of Mount Gough Police Station. Slightly to its left, and partly obscured by the Police Station, is the east house of the Senior Officers Quarters, Mount Gough. It was completed on 31st May 1925 (1), so the photo was taken in or after 1925.
Looking at the patch of earth again, it must have been freshly exposed as plants hadn't yet colonized it - which never takes long in Hong Kong. The most likely cause would be a construction project in which excess earth was disposed of by tipping down a nearby slope. The closest building in the Police Station complex appears to be a sizeable shed with a light coloured roof and dark walls. In 1925 a weather-boarded "Barrack Shed", 52 feet by 17 feet, together with an extension to the Kitchen and Servants Block, were erected at the Police Station (2). Could we be looking at the Police Station shortly after completion of this work with the excess dirt freshly dumped on the hillside? If so, the photo must have been taken in 1925 or shortly afterwards, before the bare earth became overgrown.
Now look at Mount Kellett in the background and follow its outline from the summit downhill to the right. From where it levels off, come back to the left to a very dark, two storey, building. It's easier to see as the bright white building in the 1930s photo at https://gwulo.com/media/28197 (sorry, can't get the photo insert function to work) taken from a similar but different position to Jennifers.
It doesn't appear in the 1924 Peak Map (3), so hadn't been built by then, but is marked on the 1950's map (4) as "Kellett House, 196" The Peak on Mount Kellett Road. As it's very dark in Jennifers photo, but was bright white in the 1930's, we could be looking at it whilst it was still unpainted and under construction. The earliest mention of it that I've found is in the 1927 Jury List, which says a Mr. Charles THWAITES was a resident (5). The 1927 Jury List was published on 23rd Feb 1927, so obviously the building had been completed and was inhabited by then. Its appearance in Jennifers photo doesn't suggest it was almost complete, meaning it was taken in 1926 or earlier.
In summary, Jennifers photo was probably taken in 1925 or 1926, following completion of the Senior Officers Quarters, Gough Hill and the extensions at Gough Hill Police Station, and during construction of Kellett House. As usual, corrections welcome.
Comments
Very unusual angle. Zoom in
Very unusual angle. Zoom in to see the Peak Police station with the white patch below it and to its left. Mt. Kellett is upper right. Slemish and Cheltondale up and to the right of the Police station.
See http://gwulo.com/node/7780 for Glas Bheinn
Thanks for this
Thank you so much for this photo. My grandfather (in law), Francis Leslie Ball, lived in 364 (next door). We have had some difficulties tracking down photos in the area near to the house.
View from 363 The Peak
Let's have a go at dating Jennifers old photo.
As Annelisec has already pointed out, a large patch of light coloured earth is lying on the slope in front of Mount Gough Police Station. Slightly to its left, and partly obscured by the Police Station, is the east house of the Senior Officers Quarters, Mount Gough. It was completed on 31st May 1925 (1), so the photo was taken in or after 1925.
Looking at the patch of earth again, it must have been freshly exposed as plants hadn't yet colonized it - which never takes long in Hong Kong. The most likely cause would be a construction project in which excess earth was disposed of by tipping down a nearby slope. The closest building in the Police Station complex appears to be a sizeable shed with a light coloured roof and dark walls. In 1925 a weather-boarded "Barrack Shed", 52 feet by 17 feet, together with an extension to the Kitchen and Servants Block, were erected at the Police Station (2). Could we be looking at the Police Station shortly after completion of this work with the excess dirt freshly dumped on the hillside? If so, the photo must have been taken in 1925 or shortly afterwards, before the bare earth became overgrown.
Now look at Mount Kellett in the background and follow its outline from the summit downhill to the right. From where it levels off, come back to the left to a very dark, two storey, building. It's easier to see as the bright white building in the 1930s photo at https://gwulo.com/media/28197 (sorry, can't get the photo insert function to work) taken from a similar but different position to Jennifers.
It doesn't appear in the 1924 Peak Map (3), so hadn't been built by then, but is marked on the 1950's map (4) as "Kellett House, 196" The Peak on Mount Kellett Road. As it's very dark in Jennifers photo, but was bright white in the 1930's, we could be looking at it whilst it was still unpainted and under construction. The earliest mention of it that I've found is in the 1927 Jury List, which says a Mr. Charles THWAITES was a resident (5). The 1927 Jury List was published on 23rd Feb 1927, so obviously the building had been completed and was inhabited by then. Its appearance in Jennifers photo doesn't suggest it was almost complete, meaning it was taken in 1926 or earlier.
In summary, Jennifers photo was probably taken in 1925 or 1926, following completion of the Senior Officers Quarters, Gough Hill and the extensions at Gough Hill Police Station, and during construction of Kellett House. As usual, corrections welcome.
1. Para.230, 1925 PWD Report.
2. Para.96, 1925 PWD Report.
3. https://gwulo.com/media/13017 .
4. https://gwulo.com/media/14175 .
5. https://gwulo.com/jurors-list-1927