Walvick Cottage must have been seen as an unusual design for a Hong Kong residence in the 1920s-30s, especially located in the far-away from town Ngau Tau Kok district.
With its flat roof, very large balcony, and a downstairs room with sunshades leading out to a garden sloping down to the main road. It appears modern even now.
Considering its lifespan before its acquisition by the UK’s Secretary of State for Royal Air Force use in 1953, it had only a few owners, presumably because they liked it.
The 1930s arrival of the Royal Air Forces buildings and infrastructure above/behind and in front of the residents of these isolated residential buildings must have been intrusive for them.
A ‘Facebook’ message highlights the experience of someone who lived there in the 1970s.
It’s a pity the cottage site was not regarded as a building of historical interest and included with the RAF Officer’s Mess grounds and infrastructure by those whose mission is supposed to preserve HK’s history. Rather than clear the site and turn it into a very small park adjacent to a heavily trafficked road with a strongly polluted atmosphere.