New on Gwulo: 2021, week 35

I spent last month in the UK, sending our older daughter to start at university, and catching up with friends and family. I arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday.

Gwulo's newsletters were on pause while I was away, but since I'm stuck in my quarantine hotel room for the next three weeks, expect to see some extra issues!
 

A look at what's new on the Gwulo website...
 

General
 

• Early Japanese tattooists in Hong Kong
   

Places
 

• Hong Kong
   
  • Altamira, 24 Po Shan Road [????-2012]
     
  • Rifle range on the Peak: The Butts [????- ]
     
• Kowloon
   
  • Shop house at 58 Pei Ho Street [????- ]
     
• New Territories
   
  • Dairy Farm Restaurant at Shatin (aka Shatin Roadhouse) [????-????]
     

Book news
 

Some bad news that came in during the break was the announcement that local bookstore Bleak House Books will close on 15 October.

It's my local bookshop, less than 10 minutes walk from where I live in San Po Kong. When we first moved there I wasn't expecting much in the way of English-language shopping, so it was a lovely surprise to find we had an English-language bookshop on our doorstep. It is on the 27th floor of a nondescript office building, so there's no way you'd stumble upon it. But when you walk in it's like you've stepped from your hometown high street into a favourite bookshop.

We started out visiting as customers, but Albert the owner is also a strong supporter of local authors. He quickly agreed to carry my first book, and has gone on to carry all four volumes, giving each one a promotional post or video to his many followers on Instagram.

Sadly I'll still be in quarantine when the shop closes, but if you haven't been yet I'd grab the chance to visit while you can.
 

• Directions to the bookshop
   
• The reasons Albert is closing the shop
   
• A good example of an easy and effective way to help support a local author's book launch: Albert's Instagram video for Volume 4

People
 

• Robert Wilson is documenting the commodores of the Hongkong Corinthian Sailing Club (until 1894) and the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (from 1894 on):
   
  • 1891-92: Admiral Edmund John CHURCH [1842-1904]
     
  • 1892-93: Admiral James Edward Clifford GOODRICH [1851-1925]
     
  • 1893-94: Major John Hope WYNNE EYTON [1852-1911]
     
  • 1895-96: Sir George Thomas Henry BOYES [1842-1910]
     
  • 1896-1904 & 1906-07: Sir Francis Henry MAY [1860-1922]
     
  • 1905-06 & 1908-09: Sir Henry Edward POLLOCK [1864-1953]
     
  • 1909-10 & 1911-1913: Albert DENISON [1860-1939]
     
  • 1910-11: Henry KESWICK [1870-1928]
     
• More members of the extended Reed family:
   
  • Lucretia Mary MURRAY (née REED) [1867-1922], with husband Patrick Henry MURRAY [c.1866-1927] (a marine engineer with APC), and daughter Evelyn Mary ANDREWS (née MURRAY) [c.1906-1947]
     
  • Reginald John REED (aka Reggie) [1914-1980], accountant at Deacons, HKVDC, POW
     
• Other:
   
  • Ugo GONELLA [c.1891-1952], architect
     
  • Spencer Tseng LAISUN [1857-1917]
     
  • Lavinia Alice MADAR (née MANLEY) [1898-1943]
     
  • Sidney George SMITH [1883-1944], HKVDC, POW, and wife Annie Florence SMITH (née WILSON) [1881-1944]
     
  • William Broughton (Bolton) SPRATT [1827-1884], shipwright & trader

Photos
 

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