During the extension works of the MTR Admiralty Station in 2013, an archaeological survey was made in the area of today's Harcourt Garden. It is the Archaeological Watching Brief for South Island Line (East) for MTR Corporation Ltd. from 2013.
Introduction
End of the 1950s to the early 1960s, the Hong Kong Government started a major reclamation project in Kwun Tong which is located in the south-east of the Kowloon Peninsula, opposite to the extended Kai Tak Runway. The main reasons for the development were the need for new industrial sites as well as massive creation of living space (NEW TOWN concept).
Further down south-east, next to Lei Yue Mun, is Yau Tong Bay, also named Kwun Tong Tsai Wan. It was long considered a remote and sparsely populated area. In fact it was up to the early 1950s.
Yau Tong Bay, also named Kwun Tong Tsai Wan is located between Kwun Tong and Lei Yue Mun.
It was long considered a remote and sparsely populated area. In fact it was up to the early 1950s. Between about 1958 and 1962, parts of the bay were reclaimed. The rough outline of the coast was smoothed and straightened, this new land was provided for shipbuilding and sawmills. The reclaimed land was divided into lots: Kwun Tong Marine Lots (K.T.M.L.).
Around 1910, land had been reclaimed west of Reclamation Street and south of Saigon Street. Also, Kowloon Marine Lot K.M.L. 39 (west of Reclamation Street and north of Public Square Street) had been reclaimed. Between these two reclamations a "bay" was created which was to be reclaimed next.
In 1911, a tender was published for the reclamation work which was finally finished in 1914. The Public Works Report for 1914 refers:
First guess at an outline for this reclamation, based on the differences between the maps from 1896 and 1920.
Chinarail has written about it at https://gwulo.com/atom/37626
To meet Hong Kong's desperate shortage of housing ( a problem which has never been resolved) the largest reclamation project emabarked upon since Hong Kong's foundation was commenced in Kowloon Bay by the Kai Tak Land Investment Co. , founded in 1912 by Sir Kai Ho-kai ( born as Ho Shan-kai 何栖啟 ) and property developer Au Tack ( 區德 )
This section extended from Wing Wo Street to Pedder Street.
It was reclaimed in two phases, called East and West, with Pottinger Street as the boundary between them. Progress is given in the PWD Annual reports:
This land was reclaimed at the same time as the adjacent ML 430.
Outline is approximate. No parts of ML431 show up in the results of a search at https://www.hkmapservice.gov.hk/OneStopSystem/map-search#, as the lot has been renumbered.
Completion date is an estimate. The reclamation is shown as "nearing completion" in the PWD AR for 1929, and "completed" in the report for 1930.
This land was reclaimed at the same time as the adjacent ML 431.
Outline is approximate. Some subdivisons of ML430 still show up in the results of a search at https://www.hkmapservice.gov.hk/OneStopSystem/map-search#, but most of the lot has been renumbered.
Completion date is an estimate. The reclamation is shown as "nearing completion" in the PWD AR for 1929, and "completed" in the report for 1930.
An OCR program was used; it works quite well with regular text, but tables are difficult and need retyping. Therefore the second part with costs isn't converted.
Source: http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/s1931/2384.pdf
NO. 1/1931
HONG KONG.
PRAYA EAST RECLAMATION SCHEME.