Date ? Photographer location ? Captions in teeny weenie print

Hi there,

After looking at a present day city map for the landmarks still exists, it is extremely likely that the photographer was somewhere up in the Peak area.

The Praya Reclaimation project still incomplete as shown might also be able to give some idea of the time frame, together with the original Wanchai shoreline.

My 2 cents.

T

I agree with Tom that the state of progress of the Praya Reclamation can help date this image. It’s the flat, light area to the left of the “Cricket Club”, directly infront of the HSBC HQ, and would become Statue Square. It’s not very clear in the photo, but looks to be still in a rough state suggesting it was nearing or had just been completed. I think this area was termed “Section 7” of the Praya Reclamation Scheme. Para.196 of the 1892 PWD Report, dated 7 Feb 1893, tells us that in Section 7 the “wall and filling in has practically been completed”. Just a few months later, on 26 May 1893, a birthday parade for Queen Victoria was held here and we have photos at https://gwulo.com/media/27582 showing the ground still in a rough state.

So I think the photo dates from 1893 at the earliest.    

MacDonnell Road uphill from Union Church looks pretty new.

The road and the bridge over the Peak Tram were finished in 1892 (see here). Additionally the 1892 Public Works Report explains in connection with MacDonnell Road "....before this road is much used it will be necessary to improve its approach from the Garden Road by extending the road for its full width to join the Garden Road, ..."

It probably took a year or two to finish the junction, the date of the photo could be between 1892 and 1894.