back to where the Dairy Farm offices are now located, with a levelled portion on Queen's Road, and a gentle slope, in two terraces, behind that, on which Chinese dwellings are now situated. The levelled portion was subsequently built on, the first premises being what were known as Bank Buildings, housing several of the old banks on Queen's Road; since replaced by the Asiatic Petroleum Company's fine building, which was erected about eight years ago.
The social life of early Hongkong is seemingly depicted in the pleasant scene of a horse and carriage, with a lady seated therein, presumably waiting for her lord to come out of the clubhouse. This recalls the fact that the first horse-drawn carriage was imported into Hongkong from Manila in October 1841 (see 6-7-33), and was considered a sign of the coming of the amenities of true civilisation to the Colony.
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389
Yesterday we had an old view of Wyndham Street, drawn in 1846 by Mr. Bruce, an architect in the Government service in the early years of the Colony. The picture was one of a series recently acquired by the Government of Hongkong, reproduction of which has been kindly permitted by H.E. the Governor. To-day I take another of the series, a view of Hongkong and the harbour, in 1846, looking west from Murray Battery. In this, again, Mr. Bruce has given such faithful detail that every building is true to scale and clearly outlined.
We get a good impression of the City in those early years, with the seafront coming right up to what now constitutes Des Voeux Road, and a single row of houses, hardly over two stories, between the water's edge and Queen's Road. We know from the old chronicles that a number of these premises were nothing more than godowns in those first years of Hongkong, as they naturally would be, when landing of cargo took place in the heart of the town. The buildings in the right-hand bottom corner of the picture are obviously mere storehouses. Let us take the features of this old view in detail.
Turning from the harbour, where, as we would naturally expect, there are mostly sailing vessels on view, we might note the rather pretentious pier (for those days) with a roofed-over portion at the seaward end; while further away is also seen a pier without a roof. This was presumably the old Pedder's Wharf, so called after the Harbour Master of the time, and situated approximately where the western corner of Alexandra Building now stands. When the central Praya reclamation was carried out from 1890 onwards, this pier became buried, and Blake Pier as we know it to-day was substituted.
Several larger office buildings are shown near the old pier, and the one nearest to the observer was standing - until at least the Nineties, as shown by old photographs. On the site we now have the block which includes the Ho Hong Bank premises. A little nearer east is the bottom end of the old Ice House Lane, now Ice House Street, so
8.
back to where the Dairy Farm offices are now located, with a levelled portion on.Queen's Road, and a gentle slope, in two terraces, behind that, on which Chinese dwellings are now situated. The levelled portion was subsequently built on, the first premises being what were known as Bank Buildings, housing several of the old banks on Queen's Road; since replaced by the Asiatic Petroleum Company's fine, building, which was erected about eight years ago.
The social life of early Hongkong is seeningly depicted in the pleasant scene of a horse and carriage, with a lady seated therein, presumably waiting for her lord to come out of the clubhouse. This recalls the fact that the first horse- drawn carriage was imported into Hongkong from Hanila in October 1841 (see 6-7-33), and was considered a sign of the coming of the amenities of true civilisation to the Colony.
48
389
سلام
Yesterday we had an old view of Wyndham Street, urav in 1846 by Mr. Bruce, an architect in the Government service in the early years of the Colony. The picture was one of a series recently acquired by the Government of Hongkong, reproduction of which has been kindly permitted by II.E.the Governor. To-day I take another of the series a view of Hongkong and the harbour, in 1846, looking west from Murray Battery. In this, again, Mr. Bruce has given such faithful detail that every building is true to scale and clearly outlined.
We get a good impression of the City in those early years, with the seafront coming right up to what now constitutes Des Voeux Road, and a single row of houses, hardly over two stories, between the water's edge and Queen's Road. We know from the old chronicles that a number of these premises were nothing more than godowns in those first years of Hongkong, as they naturally would be, when landing of cargo took place in the heart of the town. The buildings in the right-hand bottom corner of the picture are obviously mere storehouses. Let us take the features of this old view in detail.
Turning from the harbour, where, as we would naturally expect, there are mostly sailing vessels on view, we might note the rather pretentious pier (for those days) with a roofed-over portion at the seaward end; while further away is also seen a pier without a roof. This was presumably the old Pedder's Wharf, so called after the Harbour Master of the time, and situated approximately where the western corner of Alexandra Building now stands. When the central Praya reclamation was carried out from 1890 onwards, this pier became buried, and Blake Pier as we know it to- day was substituted.
Several larger office buildings are shown near the old pier, and the one nearest to the observer was standing - until at least the Nineties, as shown by old photographs. On the site we now have the block which includes the Ho Hong Bank premises. A little nearer east is the bottom end of the old Ice House Lane, now Ice House Street, so
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