Hello folk,
Finally....
I am just glad to be able to revisit this old collection, which is one of the few unresolved houses in old Cheung Chau. The damaged roof, which was at the north end of the house, seemed not to be from any wartime action. The style of this building is consistent with those appeared in the China Mail newspaper.
So, only one sandpit chimney on the roof, nothing else !
I guess in our minds, the house for the Assembly Hall in old Cheung Chau is no longer a mystery anymore.
Cheers!
Tung
Date picture taken
1938 (year is approximate)
Comments
try method of elimination ..
Hi Tung and all,
This photo contains quite a number of interesting details, I think.
It does not looks like damage by bombs or human attacks like from pirates. It is unlike the
19391938 roof cave-in reported either.It is more likely related to natural calamity, like typhoons ?
Let us use some method of elimination to explore. I could think of below hypotheses.
1. for the damage portion, does it resemble some typical vestry/library or room at the back of the platform ? (link 1 to quoted text)
also, note the small opening in the middle, possible a small recess ? (link 2)
it may require some building expertise to analyze and tell
2. the height of the building may be about 12 feet (two person's height), not counting the rafter portions or chimney.
is there a way to estimate the length/breadth ratio, with perspective distortion considered ? This may clarify more, for or against it.
3. if the roof damage was by typhoon on 2 Sep. 1937, may such repair work be overcome for the first ever 'Christmas Tree Party' actually held indoor late Dec. ?
4. 'Trees can talk' ... of the area or location ?
the tree on the right is not broken, looks resilient, even taller than the electic pole;
citydwellers like me could not tell trees by name, but maybe you could tell which specific kind(s) it belongs by its form ?
(the gov't admin reports have told some)
5. the porch of this building is, roughly speaking, along north to south direction;
House #12, if it exists then, should be on the left side or behind, outside the photo - looks compatible
Based on your replies, we may further consider, without fear or favor, the likelihood that this photo shows the Assembly Hall or not.
Except for point 1 and 2, which may show disproof, I do not think it may be ignored that this possibly shows the Hall with damage.
Tung, you estimated this photo is dated 1938 (but the text at the bottom of the photo looks unrelated), are there other clues or cues with this photo copy in your reasoning ? That may tell more.
Best regards.
1937 Typhoon
Pertaining to Cheung Chau and the Assembly Hall, the destructive typhoon on 2 September 1937 can be read in the China Mail on 4 September.
The Police Station roof suffered considerable damage, also those of numbers 4, 5, 22 and the Assembly Hall, which also had its windows blown in.
But the saddest sight was Number 3A, owned by Mr. Will Gr....(unable to discern). One third of the house is completely wrecked......
Regarding the Assembly Hall's roof collapse in 1938, the China Mail dated 1 October mentioned the whole roof had been repaired after the severe typhoon the previous year.
Re: Main Photo
Managed to track down the main photo submitted by Tung.
The photograph of the building was taken on Cheung Chau after the typhoon on 2 September 1937. The caption reads: A foreign house on Cheung Chau Island partially wrecked by last week's typhoon, ........
(Note the Assembly Hall is not mentioned)
Source: Hong Kong Sunday Herald Photo on 12 September 1937. Photos of typhoon damage to other buildings on Cheung Chau are shown. See here
The Assembly Hall
I really enjoy the team's effort to seek out the past picture.
I got the picture from a search which also identified the chimney used as a Sankey sandpit type. I assume that it was a rarity on the island, they were quite available in Britain. Could this item be a clue too!
Damages seen here could have been just after the 1937 typhoon. The roof and wall collapsed to the north, the chimney's outfitter was blown off, and the roof had also lost its completeness.
BTW the location of the electricity pole and line, appeared by the house, can be verified by the marks on the 1924 aerial photo of Cheung Chau.
There will be good news coming soon!
Tung
The Assembly Hall
Hello folk
I remember I went uphill on the trail from the hub near Kum Yum Wan instead of Fa Ping Rd. There was a dug-out cave on the side as I was approaching the next hub of trails, which was near the Salvation Army Orphanage.
Now I learn the cave was in fact a small typhoon shelter for residents. I think that is too tight even for a group of ten. My friends and others knew there was a secret and smaller tunnel inside the cave leading to a tiny exit some distance down the hill. The exit was quite invisible. It was hidden behind the bushes and trees.
That cave was one of the secret spots we frequented in the 1960s.
As I walked up, passed the open cave and turned south, bypassed the orphanage, and it seemed there was an empty lot of missing properties. I remember there were traces of debris indicating what seemed to be the foundation of a lost building, with eye-catching overgrown wild weeds and small bushes scattering all over.
I never ever cared about this location, but it was a good lookout spot for a commanding sight of Cheung Chau.
One other piece of my memory:
Over the entire European Reservation, there were two kinds of non-native trees, the pines and the eucalyptus. I would suggest the trees in the photo in question might be of the latter. In particular, at the hidden exit of the cave tunnel, mentioned earlier, there was also a smaller eucalyptus tree too.
Keep in mind.....
As confirmed by the information, the hall had eight windows with storm shutters around the porches. Two appeared clearly on the south by the entrance, so three and three on the east and west sides. The hall had a capacity to hold two hundred people. I saw that a piano appeared on the platform in the hall.
So I think the house with a damaged roof was quite compatible. I will check it with physical measurements though.
The estimate of the hall's height can roughly be obtained directly from photos of people by its entrance. I think there are enough critical clues to draft an approximated 3D model of the Assembly Hall.
Tung
Salvation Army, Cheung Chau (60-70s)
hi Tung,
It is good that you recalled 'Salvation Orphanage'. Possibly, the current Hk organisation may not know about this past work.
From GRS records, found a Salvation Army Children's Convalescent Home (兒童療養院). It was opened 17 Oct. 1961 on a Fa Peng hill top, as Wah Kiu Yat Po [1]. It was on 6 Cheung Chau Peak Road. Another 救世軍長洲兒童院 was also found, which seems to provide child care service [2]. But not sure if they are two different setups, or the same location.
** p.s. about the location 12C School Road, I have posted some findings in this page here, for your perusal
CCIL 1A plus CCIL 14 is the Salvation Army Bradbury Camp compound now, by Street View. Sorry for confusing it with above subject earlier today.
references
1. there is a photo of the building on the right, middle of page here (click to view)
2. Wah Kiu Yat Po, 1972-4-29