Hong Kong Electric Laundry [c.1950-c.1970]

Submitted by Andrew Suddaby on Fri, 02/22/2019 - 00:10
Current condition
Demolished / No longer exists
Date completed
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)
Date closed / demolished
(Day, Month, & Year are approximate.)

Probable location of the 'Hong Kong Electric Laundry' which, according to two photographs in the 367 Association gallery and Peter Keely sub gallery, was sited in the nullah.

Photos that show this Place

Hong Kong Electric Laundry-a business subsiduary of the electric company??
1950
Hong Kong Electric Laundry (Wanchai).
1953
Hong Kong Electric Laundry(Wanchai)2.
1953

Comments

If my geography and memory is still correct, the water they receive flows down from Mt. Butler down beside Tiger Balm Garden,under a culvert under Tai Hang Road then next to a man made water-fall beside a True Light Middle School down to Tai Hang Village where a number of local laundry co. constructed pools to use it for cleaning. They would also beat the washings at the side or on the rocks . In the back ground you can see a nullah (culvert) taking the flow to Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter.

Sandy  

Thank you Sandy.  It's very difficult trying to get an accurate location to put the pin on the map, and I think that the pin appears in slightly idifferent places on the 1952 map and Google Earth, but I tend to preferr the 1952 map for this mainly 1950s generation of images. The straightness of the road on the photograph suggests that this laundry was further down from the Tai Hang Road but the 1952 map, with the blue line across the stream, makes me think that this laundry (I didn't realise that there were several) was quite close below the Tai Hang Road. Please let me know if you think that the pin is correct on the 1952 map.  Best wishes, Andrew

A fascinating piece of film - and what an incredible number of people working in the 'electric laundry!  I was also interested to see that one of the colour stills that follows the movie also shows the Tiger Balm Pagoda and the two small pavilions way up on the hillside above the Tiger Balm garden.  There was quite a lengthy discussion on Gwulo about whether they were actually in the garden and I think that this image confirms that, whoever built them, they were not within the boundary of the Tiger Balm Garden.