Albert Ahwee, a very successful Chinese businessman who also spoke English fluently, had traveled to Jamaica in his younger days, about 1875, and had made his fortune there. While in Jamaica at age 33 he married a 19 year old ethnic Chinese woman, and they had several children. Around 1892 the family moved to Hong Kong, had several more children, and Albert continued to run several businesses. During all this time he kept a few dairy cows so his family would have fresh milk.
Albert then decided to start selling the milk too. He picked a spot just north of the boundary between Kowloon and China before 1898 - before the British lease of the New Territories.
During all his years at Albert Villa, he was also very hospitable and kept “open house” for his friends on excursions along the Kowloon City Road from Hong Kong Island.
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1898: Ahwee had already built some buildings on the land for a dairy farm. Because of this he was entitled to lease it when the British leased the New Territories.
1902: A lease, for the large Agricultural lots 450 and 458, backdated to 1898 was issued to Albert Ahwee. On this land he built Albert Villa as his home, and also the buildings for the dairy that would become The Kowloon Dairy (for more about the dairy see: https://gwulo.com/node/58913)
1918: Albert died. His daughter Mary Ahwee inherited the house and managed the Dairy.
1924: Albert’s son George Ahwee started negotiations with the Government for a larger piece of land in Ngau Chi Wan where they could build an expanded Kowloon Dairy (for the second dairy site, see https://gwulo.com/node/51762). He was finally issued that lease in about 1929.
1929: Mary asked Government to exchange the agricultural lots for a new, smaller building lot covering the land that Albert Villa stood on,
The new lot for Albert Villa, NKIL 1269, is shown on this map:
MAP
1030: Mary immediately sold of half the new lot, but kept the lot with Albert Villa on it, and rented it to the Salvation Army for 4 years.
1951: Albert Villa was sold and the lot replace by two buildings.
1962: on building was rented to Alliance College
Lee’s Mansion, 171 Boundary Street, now stands on that lot.
Photos that show this Place
