(after either Mr. Granville Sharp, a former Crown Solicitor, and owner of town property - probably the latter); Jardine's Bazaar and Matheson Street (obviously after the founders of Jardines):
Percival Street, however, is not fully explained. It is apparently meant for "Perceval", the name of a former member of Jardines and of the Legislative Council, Mr. Alexander Perceval. I find his name spelt both ways in the old records. Then Pennington Street is unexplained:
also Observation Place. Who, also, was Caroline? Any assistance from readers, in tracing these names, will be welcome.
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Another reader, "Old Stager," contributes some additional notes to those published on the old map at East Point (see 17-10-33) and on local sugar refineries (18-10-33). He points out that the map, dated about 1873, shows Jardines office still at East Point. Though several records mention that a town office was opened by this firm in the Sixties, they appear to have retained an office at East Point for some years afterwards, and the Hongkong Times in June, 1873, comments that, "The firm of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Co., are removing their offices from East Point to commodious premises in Queen's Road." This seems definitely to date the final removal to the city.
Then as regards the China Sugar Refinery, marked on the map in question, this was the old Mint, which was taken over by Jardines when the place ceased working and the machinery was sold to Japan. This was in 1868 (see 13-7-33). From a reference in 1874, however, it would appear that the site of the Mint was disposed of "to the sugar refinery, which suggests that the concern was already in existence at the time the Mint went out of use, and that its removal to the site coincided with its coming under the control of Jardines.
An old plan of the central city area of Hongkong as it was some sixty years ago is published on this page, and there are several features in the map which are of special interest. There is not space to-day for a reference to all the persons who are commemorated in the naming of the streets, but landmarks or institutions which have since passed away, are worthy of comment.
We find the Central School, afterwards named Queen's College, situated on Gough Street (see 1-9-33); the school was opened in 1862 and was located here until 1887, when the present Queen's College was opened. We also find the Union Church at Sunton Street (see 7-9-33); it was opened here in 1865 (being its second edifice) on the site of the former St. Andrew's School, and was not used after 1890, when the third, and present, edifice was erected in Kennedy Road.
Close by are the Portuguese club house and theatre on the corner of Shelley and Elgin Streets: marking the former site of the Club Lusitano and its excellent theatre, which latter was afterwards demolished (see 6-10-33); the building was erected in 1865-6, being in use up to 1919.
Moving still further south, we come to the Albany Tanks, the former source of water supply in that area: the remains of these tanks are still to be seen.
Eastward we can note the old livery stables below Kennedy Road (see 12-9-33). These stables marked an old horse repository