European House #1, a bungalow, may have been built in the early 20th century, as newspapers of the time were celebrating the attractions of Cheung Chau as an economical alternative to The Peak for holiday villas. There was a spate of building from 1908-10.
The whereabouts of House #1 is currently thought to be on the site of house 888 on the 1938 map, near the junction of School Road and Peak Road, where it had a view over Tung Wan and the sea.
Our earliest reference to it is in the Hong Kong Daily Press, 21 September 1934 (see here), where it carries the name Sunnyside, and the owner's name Westcott. From this we have Leonard G G Westcott, an English merchant, married with children, who lived in Shanghai, and latterly moved to Cheung Chau.
His bungalow, "Sunnyside" was available for rental as a vacation house as well as a holiday camp for army personnel. In 1939, the Hong Kong Telegraph (19th August) posted a photograph of about 40 men of the Middlesex and the Royal Scots Regiments in residence together there.
This tells us either the house was very large, or if some of the residents were camping in the grounds, it was on a large plot.
Leonard Westcott died in 1953.
Note: Hopefully pictures to follow.
Photos that show this Place
