G.S. 84
For discussion
on 18th August 1981
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HKK 294/1
XCR (819202
Copy No.
MEMORANDUM FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance
(Chapter 53)
DECLARATION OF NOS. 10 AND 11 WONG CH UK HANG SAN WAI, ABERDEEN, AS MONUMENTS
Introduction
Лазгиб
Section 3(1) of the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, Chapter 53, provides that the Authority may, after consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, and with the approval of the Governor, declare any place, building, site or structure, which the Authority considers to be of public interest by reason of its historical, archaeological or palaeontological significance, to be a monument.
Background
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Wong Chuk Hang San Wai is a village located between Aberdeen and Shouson Hill, and its origins go back nearly 300 years. As recently as 10 years ago, the villagers were still cultivating fields in the vicinity. But, by the mid-1970's, rapid development around Wong Chuk Hang had removed all signs of village life, and work on the road approaches to the southern portal of the Aberdeen Tunnel has hastened the process. Fortunately, Nos. 10 and 11 in Wong Chuk Hang San Wai remain in good order. No. 10 is a fine example of a well-to-do village house, in excellent condition with fine decoration. The central portion is reserved for ancestral worship, and the two wings serve as living quarters, with murals and wooden carvings of good quality, reaching to the ceiling. Murals on the outside of the building are dated 1914. The house is built of traditional blue-grey bricks, with granite blocks.
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The village has had a long association with the Chow clan, of which the late Sir Shous on Chow was a member, House No. 10 is owned by a lady who married into the Chow family her late husband was related to Sir Shouson Chow, probably a nephew). She has lived in the house for the past 50 years, and possesses a "first renewal document" dtated the 22nd year of the Emperor Kwang Hsu i, e. 1897, If the renewal took place some 20-30 years after the house was built, this would mean that it is over 100 years old.
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The two houses lie within an area zoned as District Open Space under the Outline Development Plan for the district, and are privately owned, Both are in good condition, and only minimal restoration work will be necessary. House No. 11 is similar to No. 10. As the two houses share a common party wall between them, it would not be possible to preserve only No. 10 without impairing its structural stability. Consequently, both
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