No_3_October_and_November_and_December__1951 — Page 17

NEW RESIDENCE

FOR THE

HON. COLONIAL SECRETARY

T

A view of the Colonial Secretary's residence on Barker Road.

HE official residence of the Hon.

Colonial Secretary in the Co- lony of Hong Kong was originally a large and commodious house of the old "Colonial" type named "Tanderagee", and in the years preceding the war was transferred to a similar dwelling called "Lysholt",

Both these houses were situated on the higher levels of the Peak in the neighbourhood of Mount Gough. During the war both were reduc- ed to ruins, and

and subsequently

demolished.

Several sites, including the two mentioned above, were examined as to their suitability for a new official

residence, and it was decided that

an area of rather less than an acre on Barker Road, previously occupied by the old Victoria Hospital, was probably the most desirable for the

purpose.

The new building has been designed by the Architectural Office of the P.W.D., their terms of reference being conditioned by Government's desire for a house with a traditional feeling. Lady Grantham has shown great interest in collaborating with the architects in the detailing of the scheme. Development

site are its orientation, approach, and disposition with regard to prevailing winds, especially the protection from the unpleasant south-east winds sometimes experienced from January to March. The general orientation of the rooms has been planned to secure maximum privacy from the approach road, and to give a good prospect, the average level of the site being some 30 feet above Barker Road, and over 1100 feet above sea level. Access

An existing roadway passing the front of the adjoining Victoria Flats

The outstanding features of the has been adapted to provide the

The entrance portico and turning circle.

15

The entrance gateway with the garden colonnade on the left.