The first "Leigh Tor" (see http://gwulo.com/node/5189) was a modest one story building. It was rebuilt into this grand mansion shown in the center of the attached photo:
Public Records Office Notes:
The residence "Leigh Tor" was built by Robert Kennaway Leigh, architect, of the firm of Leigh and Orange on RBL 19. The building was first rated in 1885/6.
In May 1904 Leigh sold the property to Johann Heinrich Jensen, a German national, who renamed it "Lysholt".
Soon after the outbreak of WWI Jensen's property was seized under the terms of the alien Enemies (winding up) ordinance 1914-1917 and in July, 1917 the liquidator of his business and estate sold "Leigh Tor" at auction for $37,000.
The purchaser was Ho Kom-tong. Governor May became alarmed that a Chinese (actually a Eurasian) might start living on the Peak. Ho planned to let his wives, concubines, and children live in his new property while he continued to live in a posh new home in the Mid Levels. Citing a 1904 ordinance, Governor May asked Ho Kom-tong to sell the house to the government. A well-known philanthropist, Ho agreed to give the profit from the sale to the War Charities Fund, selling the house to the Crown for $40,000 - and it has served as Government quarters since 1917. [Edge of Empires]
"Lysholt" (in 1941 the Colonial Secretary's house) was reduced to an empty and roofless shell.
After the war such houses as were restored were usually modified to suit altered needs and tastes and many were clad with flat roofs in place of their previous gabled and tiled roofs.
End PRO notes
Photos that show this Place
Comments
I've set the demolition date
I've set the demolition date to 1941, guessing that the damage mentioned in the PRO notes made it uninhabitable and so the site was re-developed after the war. Corrections welcome!
Jessen not Jensen
It's my first reply here, but i stumpled over the mention of Johann Heinrich Jensen, which has to be in fact Johann Heinrich Jessen, from the Company of Jebsen & Co (maybe it was obvious already. the Name is correctly mentioned in http://gwulo.com/node/5189
He bought the building for 44.000 HK$ (see the Jebsen & Co. publication Three Mackrels, p. 26). Befor that he was living with is family in Queens Gardens No. 9 (van Hänisch, 1970, p.64). In 1907 Jacob Jebsen of Jebsen & Co. was moving in, as Jessen moved to Hamburg after his wife died (Three Mackrels, p. 29).
The address was 104 The Peak
The address was 104 The Peak (registered in the Land Offices as Rural Building Lot No. 19) and the 124,032 sq ft property was planned to be sold by auction at 12 noon on 31st July 1917 as indicated by the newspaper announcment below. The lot was said to be held for the unexpired residue of a term of 75 years created by an indenture of Crown Lease dated 23rd April 1896.
Source: The Hong Kong Telegraph, page 12, 28th July 1917