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1.26 Pottinger Street in the late nineteenth century.
45
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1.29
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1.27 Wellington Street in the late nineteenth century was lined with typical three-storey Chinese houses. The ground floor was for commercial use, with the second and third floors occupied as residences.
1.28 Distribution of shops in Bonham
Strand when a huge fire broke out at 10 pm on 28 December 1851. Gibb and Livingston Co is represented by No 1; the junction of Wellington Street, Queen's Road and Lower Bazaar Road by No 11; Lower Bazaar by No 12; and Queen's Road by No 13.
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1.29 A few weeks after the fire in Bonham Strand, the government proposed to widen the streets by reclamation. The dotted line marks the planned recla- mation area.
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
higher rent revenue for the government. A new district to accommodate the Chinese
population was planned for at Tai Pin Shan. It was to be sited around present-day Tai
Ping Shan Street, east of Possession Street and south of Queen's Road Central. It became the third Chinese residential area, after Upper and Lower bazaars.
At the end of 1843, Land Officer A. T. Gordon reauctioned the lots running from Bonham Strand to Gough Street54, including the Upper Bazaar lots. On 22 January 1844, 27 Upper Bazaar land parcels were successfully sold off to Europeans for commercial use. The Chinese living or working in Upper Bazaar were told to seek alternative arrangements55. Merchants and inhabitants were ordered to move out of the area within six months from January 184456.
The Chinese merchants were most upset that the government had reauctioned the lots in Upper Bazaar without their consent. After the reauction, Governor Henry Pottinger ordered Chief Magistrate Major William Caine, Registrar General Charles Gutzlaff and Land Officer A. T. Gordon to set up a committee to consider ways to accommodate the affected merchants. The government not only ignored completely
the interests of the affected Chinese lot owners, but also claimed that the title deeds issued by the first Land Officer, George F. Mylius, were only of a temporary nature. Public opinions strongly condemned the government's decision to force out the Chinese merchants from Upper Bazaar. The government was even labelled a bandit". Nonetheless, the government disregarded all opposition. On 25 July 1844, it gazetted an order for the businesses in Upper Bazaar to vacate their premises by September 1844. Consequently, Upper Bazaar became part of the business district reserved for the Europeans.
With no bargaining power, the Chinese merchants had to accept what was offered
by the government. They resettled in Tai Ping Shan lots 44 and 78 (approximately the area east of present-day Possession Street and west of Shing Wong Street). Government rent for those affected businesses was waived until January 1849, and they were each
given HK$40 as compensation58. Regarding monetary compensation, Governor Pottinger felt that businesses that were engaged in immoral activities such as gambling dens and brothels should not be compensated. Of the 112 households and businesses relocated, only 81 received the HK$40 compensation59. The government also outlaid HK$5,900 on site formation works in Tai Ping Shan.
From then on, the land around Tai Pin Shan Street and Lower Bazaar became a Chinese residential area. Chief Magistrate William Caine decreed that no Europeans, with the exception of police officers, were allowed to reside in a Chinese-populated
area.
First Reclamation - Bonham Strand
When comparing the 1843 map prepared by Land Officer A. T. Gordon with the 1856 map of the City of Victoria60, one finds that the Bonham Strand section, represented by Marine lots 83 to 89 near the Western Market area, shows clear signs of reclamation1.
-
On Wednesday, 28 December 1851, a huge fire broke out at around 10 pm in Lower Bazaar, near the present Jervois Street. The blaze raged until 5:30 am the next morning. This gave the impetus to the first reclamation project62 and also represented a milestone in the westward extension of the city centre. The fire started at Che-cheong Clothes shop at No 601 of Marine lot 16 a mere 150 feet from the warehouse owned by Gibb, Livingston & Co in Central. The blaze was burning most vigorously at around at 1 am on 29 December. It spread eastwards as far as the present-day intersection of Queen's Road Central, Jervois Street and Wellington Street, southwards to Queen's Road Central, westwards to the junction of Jervois Street and Morrison Street, and northwards to the Praya north of Jervois Street63. The fire-affected areas measured
Challenges for an Evolving City
46
47
189,792 square feet (approximately 4.4 acres) and initially it was estimated that it would reduce the annual government rent revenue by £8,375. In fact, the government
announced in 1852 that far fewer lots were affected. The damaged lots were: lots 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 16, 17, 28, 32-35, 99, 102, 103, 117, 163, 180, 191,193 and 202. In the
"
end, it only required the waiving of £700 government rent64.
During the fire, in an attempt to prevent the flames from spreading to Central, the British Army and Royal Navy used 100 pounds of explosives to blow up the buildings to create a firebreak, causing the destruction of 450 civilian houses. Two military
Challenges for an Evolving City
源通
1.31
兰
1.32
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
-
officers Lt R. A. Tomkyns and Lt R. A. Lugg - died in the fire and quite a few soldiers were injured. In addition, 200 Chinese were reported missing. The blaze caused property damage in excess of £30,000. The excessive stockpiling of goods, closely-packed building structures, the lack of access to water and poor firefighting facilities, all contributed to the fire burning out of control65. The ravaged area sustained extensive damage and Lower Bazaar had to be rebuilt. Even before the fire, the government had expressed dissatisfaction with the sanitary conditions and the law and order situation that prevailed in the Tai Ping Shan Praya area inhabited by the Chinese. This blaze offered a golden opportunity to replan the Chinese community.
The Surveyor General, A. T. Gordon, drafted the first reclamation. plan for the reconstruction of Lower Bazaar. The initial work was to
determine the extent of reclamation at the Bonham Strand Praya. Reclamation
was to start at the intersection of present-day Wellington Street, Queen's
Road and Jervois Street, and end near the corner of Jervois Street and
Morrison Street. At Bonham Strand, works were to be extended northwards
towards the harbour, and a 50-foot wide road was to be constructed
along the Praya. It was estimated that this reclamation project would cost $25 per square yard. The bulk of the fill material was to come from the hills nearby, with construction waste from Tai Ping Shan contributing the rest. The government intended to auction off the reclaimed land.
Present owners of the Marine lots were liable for the construction cost
of piers and seawall as well as for part of the reclamation expenses. On the other hand, these owners would be allowed to charge fees for the use of their piers. Through the reclamation exercise, the government would be able to generate additional land revenue from the extra land produced.
As most of the Bonham Strand lots were leased to Chinese, a
quick resolution was achieved on the ownership issue concerning the lots along the shore. The Europeans only owned lots 1 and 4 (Gibb, Livingston & Co), 6 (G. J. Mornson) and 191 (L. M. S. Chapel). It was
1.30 The junction of
Bonham Strand
and Queen's Road
in the 1910s, where
a destinative fire
broke out in 1851.
Bonham Strand, which was com- pleted in the 1950s, was the frist
street built on
reclaimed land.
It became a trad-
ing centre among the
Chinese population.
Bonham Strand is
on the right and on
the left is Queen's
Road.
1.31 The bustling Clev-
erly Street, east of Bonham Strand, in
the 1930s.
1.32 Bonham Strand,
decorated to cel-
ebrate the Silver
Jubilee of the
Reign of King George V in May
1935.
1.30
48
49
Embryonic City
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
1.33 Many local banks and medicinal herb and ginseng shops and businesses were set up in Bonham Strand in 1910s.
easier for the government to reach agreement with the lot owners. In addition, since most of the leases were due to expire within the next two or three years, the present
lessees were unwilling to make substantial investments on their lots. Neither did they have a valid reason to object to reclamation after the expiry of the leases". From the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, the reclaimed land - given the street name of Bonham Strand - was used by the Chinese as the trading centre for gold and silver. The Gold and Silver Exchange Company, established in 1910, moved to
No 52 Bonham Strand in 1933.
The Bonham Strand project provided valuable lessons for future reclamation works. In the 1850s, the government did not realise that the reactions of the existing Marine lot holders towards the ownership rights of reclaimed lots would become the biggest hindrance to reclamation. After the Bonham Strand reclamation, the government proposed the ambitious Bowring and Central reclamation projects in its endeavours to
enhance land resources.
=
Thwarted Reclamation Schemes
While the Bonham Strand reclamation was proceeding smoothly, the administration tried to apply the reclamation method used in the Chinese community to the Central and Wan Chai areas. In 1856, the government planned to carry out a Praya extension north of Government Hill, for a length of four miles and a width of 50 feet. The reclamation was to extend eastwards to East Point, with public piers to be constructed on the reclaimed land in Central. The new reclamation scheme was initiated during the governorship of John Bowring and was given the name of Bowring Praya. On 25 February 1856, select committee was set up. Its members included: Thomas Chisholm Anstey, the Attorney General; William Cowper, an engineer; and Julius Charles Power, the Acting Surveyor General. The committee conducted public consultations and solicited views from all sectors of the community, with the goal of clarifying the following issues: 1. Should the government be responsible for all the Praya reclamation works?
2. Upon the completion of reclamation, how much government rent would the present
holders of Marine lots have to pay for the use of the new lots?
3. If the existing lot owners did not wish to bear the cost of reclamation, should the government meet the cost instead? Would the government allow those owners who were willing to contribute, to carry out the expansion work that was related to their lots themselves?
4. Should the Bonham Strand reclamation be included as part of the Praya reclamation
project?
Challenges for an Evolving City.
50
5. How should the rules governing the loading and unloading of goods and the embarking
and disembarking of passengers along the Praya be determined, once the reclamation works were completed67?
51
Challenges for an Evolving City
52
TOL
PLAN
VICTORIA
PRESENT SEA WALL 70 BE REPAIRED COLOURED RED.:.
PROPOSED NEW PERMANENT WALL COLOURED YELLOW
MARINE LOT HOLDERS PROPOSED RECLAMATIONS COLOURED GREEN -
RECLAMATION BEHIND NAVAL AND
MILITARY PREMISES REFERRED TO
IN PARAGRAPH I COLOURED PURPLE —
$CALL
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+} {NCH
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ema
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t
1.34 The 1875 blueprint for the Praya works. Subsequent to the destructive typhoon of 1874, the
government proposed a comprehensive repair and reclamation plan.
Although the responses gathered by the committee failed to clear up all the doubts of the government, they did spell out the views of society concerning the reclamation plan. The committee identified two issues, in regard to which the public had reached
consensus.
1. The government should oversee all aspects of the reclamation works and implement
measures to address the sanitation, environment, and law and order concerns. The
Surveyor General was to assume responsibility for the satisfactory progress and
completion of the project.
2. The Crown should have absolute beneficial ownership of the reclaimed land.
The strongest opposition to the reclamation came from the purchasers of the Marine lots. When the first land auction was held on 14 June 1841, as the sea lots had
different depths and were irregularly shaped, the government only made approxinate
determinations of the coastal boundaries and allowed the allottees to undertake construction
works based on the actual circumstances. That meant the Marine lots sold on 14 June
1841 did not have clearly defined boundaries. Many of the allottees carried out their own reclamation, under the pretence of performing corrective work to their lots 68. When the second land auction was planned, Governor Pottinger proclaimed on 22 March 1842 that all reclaimed land along the Praya was the Crown's property. This
announcement settled the ownership issue of land reclaimed from the sea. Unfortunately, the ruling made on 22 March 1842 had no retrospective effect on the lots sold at the 14 June 1841 auction. The administration was unable to resume the ownership of the
newly reclaimed land; nor could it charge government rent for its use. On 4 March
1844, Governor Pottinger offered to reduce rent on the land reclaimed by the lessees as an incentive to obtain declarations from the lot owners the size of the added land.
When the Bowring Praya plan was announced, the firm Dent & Co, which had Marine lots 3 and 4 under lease, declared that it was fully aware of the exact demarcation of those lots when they were acquired on 14 June 1841. It made clear its intention not
to increase the land area but would assert its rights to those Marine lots.
The Bowring Praya scheme came under severe criticism on 4 February 1859 from the taipan of Dent & Co, John Dent, who was also a Legislative Councillor. The four major issues were:
1. The proposed reclamation works would infringe on the boundaries of the existing Praya. After the reclamation, the original Marine lots no longer had sea frontages.
2. The implementation of the Bowring Praya scheme would plunge the government into severe financial difficulties. According to government estimates, the project would cost £19,000. Between 1858 and 1859, the government only applied for a loan of £4,000 from the British government to finance such works. During that year, it already borrowed from Britain of £10,000 for the construction of a gaol and a hospital. Additional borrowings would have to be made. The Hong Kong government simply could not afford the Bowring plan financially. As for Britain, it was under no obligation to provide unlimited funding for Hong Kong's infrastructure on a long-term basis.
3. The Bowring Praya project cost had been underestimated. According to government notification No 178 of 1858, the estimated cost of the scheme amounted to
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 - 1883)
53
1.35
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
£19,000. This sum was far lower than the figure of £87,648 provided by the Surveyor General, who did not include support facilities such as the construction of a 0.75- square-mile parade ground east of the military hospital. In all, the scheme's total expenditure would exceed £112,000.
4. The main entrances of all the major trading houses were located on Queen's Road, with the kitchens and stables positioned on the Praya side. After the proposed reclamation, all these ancillary facilities would be located along the major thoroughfare, which
was not a pleasant sight.
The complaint lodged by John Dent against the Bowring Praya, which was
intended to run from Wong Nei Chung to Navy Bay, was accepted by the Legislative
Council on 5 February 1859. On the same day, an official announcement was made to suspend the reclamation proposal indefinitely70.
Not only was the Bowring Praya project too ambitious and too expensive, but it also directly threatened the interests of the private sector. The European business magnates, who were also members of the Legislative Council, made full use of their financial clout and influence to express to the British government their vehement opposition to the plan. Desperately short of funds, the administration was not in a position to implement the project on its own. Permission was withheld on the Central - Wan Chai reclamation and the project was delayed for 40 years.
Despite the setback to the Bowring Praya project, the authorities remained
adamant in its determination to augment public space through reclamation. In 1866, it revived the Central reclamation project, proposing to move the Harbour Master's Office westwards and use the site to build the Town Hall". Public piers were to be constructed along the waterfront near the Harbour Master's Pier for the handling of goods and the embarking and disembarking of passengers. As there was a military
barracks 3,250 feet east of the Harbour Master's Office, the government needed to
1.36
1.37
1.35 A view of the Wan Chai Praya in the 1870s. In the centre, jutting out into the harbour is the 1000-feet-long pier owned by the Hong Kong Pier & Godown Co. On the left is the Hospital Hill, named after the Sailors' Hospital that was founded in 1843. In 1873, the hospital came under the direction of the Royal Navy and changed its name to Royal Naval Hospital.
1.36 Victoria Harbour at the end of the nineteenth century.
1.37 Victoria Barracks (the present-day Arsenal Street area) in the second half of the nineteenth century. It consisted of five military compounds. The Wan Chai Praya is to its left, with Hospital Hill (with a large building at the top of the hill) in the background.
Challenges for an Evolving City
54
55
1.38
1.39
"
T
40
W.O.T
1.38 The bustling Bonham Strand West, decorated to mark the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of 1860s.
1.39 View along Morrison Street in the 1880s, showing
the shops fronting Bonham Strand West.
1.40 In the 1868 Bonham Strand West reclamation, the Pierre-perdue method was adopted for seawall construction. It is similar to the present-day method of constructing a vertical seawall.
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1.40
Challenges for an Evolving City
56
redevelop the site currently occupied by Fletcher's Building of the War Department into piers, and to expand the existing Praya. The military felt that the plan was an infringement of its property rights, and that having public facilities erected so close to military installations posed security risks. So it refused to sanction the proposal72.
Neither the Bowring Praya scheme nor the Central reclamation project was approved. This illustrates that, apart from adequate funding, the attitudes of the military
and the private enterprises also had a decisive influence on the city's development in
the 1860s.
Although the government's ambitious efforts to expand the city core were thwarted, by 1866 the City of Victoria began to assume the shape of a modern city. It was divided into nine districts: Shek Tong Tsui, Sai Ying Pun, Tai Ping Shan, Sheung Wan, Chong Wan and Chong Wan North, Ha Wan, Wan Chai, Bowrington and So Kong Po13. The
city was steadily expanding eastwards and westwards despite numerous impediments.
Sheung Wan - Western District Reclamation
In 1860 the government began to expand the Chinese area from Bonham Strand in Sheung Wan to Western District. On 1 March 1860, it unveiled the Western District
expansion blueprint and proposed to extend the boundaries of the Chinese community
westwards to Centre Street, and southwards to Bonham Road. A street that ran from
east to west - Second Street - was to be built between Eastern Street, Centre Street,
Queen's Road and Bonham Road. This expansion project was estimated to cost £63174.
The completion of the Bonham Strand reclamation in the 1850s resulted in the
construction of Bonham Strand. In 1868, the government planned to build Bonham Strand West through reclamation by a westward extension from the junction of Bonham Strand and No 37A of Morrison Street. The project's budget of HK$68,700 was approved
in the same year and funding was allocated in the 1868 fiscal year. The existing landholders were responsible for the cost of the expansion works on their lots, but they were also granted the rights to use the reclaimed land. As a result, the government only needed to spend £4,915 (HK$23,592) on this reclamation". In 1868, the Nam Pak Hong Commercial Association was set up in Bonham Strand West", giving rise to its other name, Nam Pak Hong Street. Towards the end of the 1860s, most of the Chaozhou and Shantou merchants who were involved in the Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Shantou trade congregated in that street. Most of the businesses there were Nam Pak Hong merchants engaged in the selling and trading of Chinese medicinal herbs and ginseng. There were also jinshanzhuang (firms conducting trade, remittance and visa applications with Chinese living in North America) and yinhao (Chinese native banks), in decreasing numbers 78.
The plan for the 1868 Bonham Strand West project spelled out the reclamation technology to be used and its architectural characteristics. The stress was on the ability of the seawall to withstand typhoon conditions and the Pierre-perdue method was adopted for the new seawall. It was similar to the current method used for constructing a vertical seawall. The seaward side of the seawall foundation had a gradient of 2:1, while that at the landward side had a gradient of 1:1. Large stones, each measuring not less than eight cubic feet, were used to build the foundations, with the interstices filled in with. rubble. The stonework above the seawall footings was constructed of ashlar masonry. To ensure the strength and durability of the new seawall, the masonry was set in cement mortar in place of pure cement. No lime was allowed to be used in any part of the work". The fill material required for reclamation was taken from the hill below Hospital Road. The Bonham Strand West reclamation utilised the basic concept of levelling mountains and reclaiming land from the sea and the Pierre-perdue method in seawall construction. This project served as a model for future reclamation works in the territory.
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 - 1883)
57
Challenges for an Evolving City
SLAUGHTER HOUSE
BELCHERS POINT
DISTRICT No 1. SHEKTONCTUS!
TO BE RECLAIMED
PRAYA
DISTRICT No 2 SEI YING POON PRAYA
PLAUERTEN
MOUSE
58
PLAN OF THE
CITY OF VICTORIA
PRAYA
DISTRICT NO 4.
DISTRICT NO
:
PRAYA
A
R
DISTRICT No 5 CHOONG WAN
CERCH
PARADE
0
R
DISTRICT NO 6 HA WAN
PIER
CAUSEWAY
BAY
CERE
JOSH MONEL
DISTRICT N° 7. WANG NAI
DISTRICT #o 8. BOWRINOTOR
DISTRICT N° 9. Sockur Poo
~^VRINCHAI
WORGNE CHONG VALLEY
1.41 In the early 1880s, the City of Victoria was divided into nine districts: Shek Tong Tsui, Sai Ying Pun, Tai Ping Shan, Sheung Wan, Chong Wan and Chong Wan North, Ha Wan, Wan Chai, Bowrington and So Kong Po. The shaded parts represent proposed reclamation areas in the wake of the 1874 destructive typhoon.
Table 1.6 Chinese Community Praya Works (1844-1882)
Between 1870 and 1875, the government aggressively created land in Western District, with reclamation works stretching as far as Belcher's Street north. After years of reclamation, the road north of Queen's Road West, then known as the Praya but later renamed Des Voeux Road West, was largely finished80. In 1874, Hong Kong came under the onslaught of a typhoon, causing massive damage along the Praya. Thus, the administration proposed in 1875 to repair the seawalls along the coastal Marine lots, stretching eastwards from Hill Road in Western District to So Kong Po, and also to carry out reclamation in the near-shore area around Eastern Street and Western Street. Again, the project could not be fully implemented due to insufficient
funding.
1852
Year
Work Item
Expenditure (£)
Lower Bazaar seawall and stairs
22
1853-1854
Lower Bazaar seawall
163
1859-1861
Lowe Bazaar Praya
2,429
1864-1866
Causeway Bay reclamation
9,893
1869
Bowrington reclamation
# 2,083
1868-1871
Construction - Bonham Strand seawall
4,915
1875
Wan Chai reclamation
703
1878
Lap Sap Wan reclamation
Total
*591
20,799
#
1869 budgeted expenditure
*
Chinese Community Praya Works
Capital expenditure by the colonial government in the Chinese community was minimal before 1859. Apart from the sum of £1,343 (approximately HK$5,900) expended in 1844 on site formation works in Tai Ping Shan, only drain repairs, costing well below £100, were carried out occasionally. This reflected the unimportance of the Chinese community in the eyes of the government. During the period 1844-1882, a total of £20,799 was expended on the section of the Praya in the Chinese community. Of this sum, only £2,429 was related to Praya construction works - a mere 12 per cent
of the total. As for the Bonham Strand reclamation undertaken in the 1850s, information
on cost and other details was unavailable. Thus very little is known about the first reclamation. One thing is certain however: the street Bonham Strand, built during the first phase of the Bonham Strand reclamation, was completed before 1868. In 1868,
The original records were in Hong Kong dollars. To facilitate analysis, the British pound sterling is
adopted, using the 1881 rate of £1 = HK$5.334.
Source:
"Return of All Public Works, Civil Roads, Canals, Bridges, Buildings, &c., Not of a Military Nature, Which Have Been Undertaken During the Year", Hong Kong Blue Book, H 2, Public Works, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1844-1882.
the government planned to carry out the second phase of the reclamation: to extend
westwards from Bonham Strand and build the now Bonham Strand West. Table 1.6
lists the 1868-1871 expenditure on the Bonham Strand seawall, which was part of the phase two reclamation plan. The construction sum was enormous at £4,915 (HK$23,952), relative to the sums spent in the past on the Chinese community. Obviously the seawall
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 - 1883)
59
1.42
1.43
1.44
1.42 Sheung Wan in the 1880s. The
photograph shows overcrowded houses in a densely populated Chi- nese residential area. Po Yan Street could be seen in the middle, leading to Hollywood Road at the end. The large area of open space in the left of the photograph is Pos- session Point, with Tung Wah Hos- pital across the street.
1.43 The gas works at Hill Road, Shek Tong Tsui, was the starting loca- tion for the Praya Reclamation Scheme. Reclamation works be-
gan in 1889 and finished in 1903.
1.44 The first public hospital, Govern- ment Civil Hospital, was located on Queen's Road West in 1874.
Summary
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
1.45 Eastern Street was a popular Chinese residential area at the end of the nineteenth century, lined with Chinese houses.
works undertaken was far more extensive from those carried out previously. In 1852, a pitiful sum of £22 was spent on seawall related works. (Refer to Table 1.6 for details of works carried out in the Chinese community)
To demonstrate its commitment towards reclamation, the government undertook a series of minor reclamations between 1864 and 1878. They included: Causeway Bay (1864-1866), cost £9,893 (HK$47,486) 82; Bowrington (1869), cost- £2,083 (HK$9,998); Wan Chai (1875), cost - £703 (HK$3,374)83; and Lap Sap Wan (1878), cost - £591 ($3,152). The northern shore of Hong Kong Island gradually took the shape of a modern city after a sustained period of construction, repair and maintenance
works.
Hong Kong Island was scarce in land resource and vulnerable to typhoon attacks. These factors, coupled with the circumstance that military considerations dictated the establishment of the city nucleus on the less felicitous north shore of the island, meant
that the colonial government had to make extra efforts to develop Hong Kong. In 1842, the Land Office was established and put in charge of land use planning. The Surveyor General took office in 1844 and assumed responsibilities for the city's planning and building works. Such measures illustrated the government's determination to develop the City of Victoria. The Surveyor General's Office was the forerunner of all the works departments. It was largely responsible for the planning, execution and oversight of the development of Victoria Harbour. Shackled by limited resources, little progress was made between 1841 and 1883 on port and land development. The City of Victoria was the focus of infrastructural activity, with very limited development works undertaken in other parts of the island. Initially, construction works centred on road building and erection government building structures. The government began by constructing piers and cargo loading and unloading areas along the north shore, building and maintaining seawalls, and reinforcing the Praya against high winds and pounding waves. Such works were performed to protect the trading vessels. As Victoria Harbour was a well- endowed natural harbour, capable of receiving the largest vessels of the time, the provision of port facilities such as piers, seawalls and lighthouses did not involve large capital expenditure. The period of the 1850s and 1860s was characterised by small-scale port
development works. In the 1870s, the pace of development slowed. On the other hand, maintenance and reconstruction works grew in importance, as Hong Kong often had to endure the onslaughts of typhoons.
When the government conducted the first public auction in 1841, covering land parcels stretching from Ha Wan in the east to Sheung Wan in the west, it basically demarcated the boundaries of the City of Victoria. Back in 1841, the now Gough Street and Hollywood Road area, then known as Upper Bazaar, and the Bonham Strand Praya
63
Challenges for an Evolving City
Table 1.7 Population Distribution-Hong Kong (1841-1881)
Table 1.8 Non-European Population Statistics-City of Vctoria
Year
Population-City of Victoria
Population-Boats
1841
800 (11%)
1851
16,958 (51%)
2,000 (27%)
10,178 (31%)
Population- Villages
4,350 (58%)
5,234 (16%)
Others
Total Population
1841
1844
1858
1859
1860
1861
300(4%)
7,450(100%)
Upper/Lower Bazaar
800
5,783
Tai Ping Shan
11,599 13,549 15,782 17,828
613 (2%)
1861
68,910 (58%)
30,909 (26%)
11,215 (9%)
8,287 (7%)
32,983(100%)
119,321(100%)
Chong Wan
11,434 10,428
10,585 15,875
Sheung Wan
6,626
7,449
8,337 9,549
1871
80,824 (65%)
23,709 (19%)
10,507 (9%)
9,158 (7%)
124,198(100%)
Sai Ying Pun
4,618
4,989
7,515
19,123
1881
106,393 (67%)
28,989 (18%)
16,606 (10%)
8,414 (5%)
160,402(100%)
Shek Tong Tsui
727
662
1,925
Ha Wan
Sources:
4,861
5,581
6,072 6,641
Chinese Repository, Vol X, No 5, The Hong Kong Gazette, May 1841, p. 289.
"Return of the Population and of the Marriages, Births and Deaths", Hong Kong Blue Book, Hong Kong,
Noronha & Co, 1851, 1861, 1871.
"Census Returns of the Population of the Colony on 3 April 1881", The Hong Kong Government Gazette,
Hong Kong Government, 8 June 1881.
So kong Po
2,601
2,020
2,373 2,583
Wong Nei Chung
333
374
327
359
Sources:
Part Birth of the City of Victoria (1843 1883)
in Sheung Wan, called Lower Bazaar at that time, were designated as localities reserved for the Chinese community. To cope with the booming economic activity in Central and a rapidly growing Chinese population, the government relocated the Chinese population from Upper Bazaar to Tai Ping Shan in 1844, thus making Sheung Wan a Chinese- populated district. Within such an overcrowded locality, hygiene and public order problems were bound to occur. The fire that broke out on 28 December 1851 acted as a catalyst, prompting the adoption of reclamation by the government. With no disputes over the ownership of land along the Praya, the government was able to realise its ambition of levelling mountains and reclaiming land from the sea. It made history with the completion of the first reclamation along the northern waterfront of the island.
—
With increasing reclamation activity in the 1850s, the boundaries of the City of Victoria were extending eastwards and westwards on the north shore. In 1858, the city was made up of eight districts: Shek Tong Tsui, Sai Ying Pun, Tai Ping Shan, Sheung Wan, Chong Wan, Ha Wan, Wong Nei Chung and So Kong Po84. In 1866, the district of Wong Nei Chung was subdivided into Bowrington and Wan Chai - increasing the number of districts to nine. Most of the population resided within the City of Victoria. According to the 1841 Chinese Repository, an estimated 7,450 people lived in Hong Kong that year, of which 2,000 lived on boats and another 4,350 were scattered around the coastal villages. Between 1851 and 1881, the number of people residing inside the City of Victoria burgeoned to encompass between 51 per cent and 67 per cent of the total population. More people were now living in the City of Victoria than in villages or on boats, and the trend was accelerating.
Chinese Repository Volume X, No 5, The Hong Kong Gazette, 1841 May, p.289. "Return of the Population and of the Marriages, Births and Deaths ", Hong Kong Blue Book, Hong Kong,
Noronha & Co, 1844, 1858-1861.
In the mid-nineteenth century, with a dearth of resources at its disposal, the government at times relied on private sector initiatives in port development. The building of piers and warehouses by foreign businesses, enhanced by substantial Crown rent receipts from the Marine lots, had successfully transformed the area around Central into a British-like small town. In situations where the interests of private enterprises clashed with those of the government's, the development plans were met with intense opposition. Since the 1860s, the government had had a grand plan in mind, hoping to undertake large-scale reclamation works along the Praya in Central upon the completion of the Bonham Strand reclamation. It had hoped to boost the development potential of the areas around Central and Wan Chai. Unfortunately, such ambition was thwarted
by stiff resistance from the foreign businesses and the British military. These enterprises
held the lots along the Praya and were worried that their land rights would be adversely
affected by the new reclamation. Their other concerns were that they could be charged higher land rent, as well as being required to bear the land construction cost. The British military was concerned that increased human activities along the shore could
compromise national security. Yielding to pressures from various quarters, the Central Wan Chai project was shelved. Until the late 1880s, the government proved unable
to win consent for the reclamation from the various vested interest groups. This considerably
slowed down the city's development. For the city to embark on a new course of development,
all three elements had to meet in harmony - timeliness, amenable locations and harmonious
human relations. None could be absent.
64
65
1
t
1883-1945
Expansion of the City Nucleus
1. Large Scale Reclamation in the City of Victoria
-
Praya Reclamation Scheme - Western District to Central
Praya East Reclamation Scheme
2. Development of the Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula Reclamation
Kowloon Tong Garden City Plan
Large-Scale Reclamation in the City of Victoria
3. Maintenance of Port Facilities
Fairway Dredging
Typhoon Shelter Construction
4. Transport Hubs
Large Piers
Kowloon Canton Railway
Airport Reclamation
5. Wartime Hong Kong
6. Summary
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
ALSE
Since 1841, Hong Kong's population had been increasing at a rapid rate. During the period 1881-1939, more than 42 per cent of the total population resided within the
City of Victoria, reaching a high of 72 per cent in 1881 (Table 2.1). For the government, the high population density and hygienic problems in Sheung Wan were the most pressing problems in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. The only way to
boost usable land along the north shore of the island in order to meet the city's development
needs was by reclamation. Between 1883 and 1945, the following reclamation works
were carried out by the government to expand the nucleus of the city: on northern Hong Kong Island from Western District to North Point, on the eastern and western shores of the Kowloon Peninsula, as well as at its southern end.
In 1883, the department responsible for all infrastructural and reclamation works in Hong Kong, the Survey Department, was restructured and became the Public Works Department. The Surveyor General was retitled Director of Public Works in 1891. In 1891, the Public Works Department consisted of seven administrative units: Staff, Inspection
of Buildings, Praya Reclamation, Public Works, Public Recurrent, Land Survey Branch and Squatters. The port development and reclamation works came within the ambit of the Praya Reclamation and Public Works units. The Praya Reclamation Division was the first unit in Hong Kong in charge of port development works, while the Public Works Division was the first government agency with responsibility for other infrastructural projects not covered by the Praya Reclamation Division. By 1924, the number of
works divisions of the Public Works Department grew to eight: General Works, Administration
of the Buildings Ordinance, Architecture, Drainage, Electrical, Roads, Waterworks
and Port Development. The Port Development Division, established on 14 August 1924,
took over the work of the Praya Reclamation Division. It was also responsible for the building and maintenance of public sewerage systems and piers, seawalls and other harbour works, in addition to the oversight of private sector port projects. In 1929, more offices were added to the Public Works Department: Administrative Staff and
69
Table 2.1 Hong Kong Population Statistics (1881-1939)
Year
Total Hong Kong Population
City of Victoria Population
As Percentage of
Total Population
1881
160,402
114,619
71.5%
1891
221,441
156,863
70.8%
1901
283,975
175,056
61.6%
1911
456,739
217,668
47.7%
1921
625,166
312,388
50.0%
1931
840,473
356,058
42.4%
1939
1,050,256
450,294
42.9%
Sources:
2.1
Before 1889, the Praya was 30 feet wide. It was widened to 75 feet following reclamation.
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Challenges for an Evolving City
70
"Report on the Census of the Colony for 1901", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha &
Co, 1901, No 39/1901.
"Report on the Census of the Colony for 1911", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha &
Co, 1911, No 17/1911.
"Report on the Census of the Colony for 1921", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha &
Co, 1921, No 15/1921.
"Report on the Census of the Colony, Hong Kong, 1931”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong,
Noronha & Co, 1931, No 5/1931.
"Return of the Population and of the Marriage, Births and Deaths”, Hong Kong Blue Book, Hong Kong,
Noronha & Co, 1881.
Hara Gau Kou, Honkon suidou chousa houkokusho (Investigative Report on Hong Kong's Waterworks),
Taiwan soutokufu gaijibu, October 1942, p. 7.
Correspondence; Crown Lands; Surveys; Valuation and Resumption; and Accounts and Stores. The Port Development Division evolved into the Port Works Division (the name "Port Works" has been in use ever since). The Electrical Office was renamed the
Electrical and Wireless Telegraphy Office; the Architecture Office was restructured
into the Architectural and Maintenance of Buildings Office; the Roads Office became the Roads and Transport Office; The Waterworks Office was split into two: the Construction
of Waterworks and the Maintenance of Waterworks. The organisation structure of the Public Works Department that was in place in 1929 remained largely intact until 1941, just prior to the occupation by the Japanese invading forces. After the war, the Public Works Department underwent several reorganisations and has now become the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau85.
Praya Reclamation Scheme Western District to Central
-
As early as the mid-1850s, a Central reclamation plan was put forth by the government. In 1875, after the havoc wreaked by the powerful typhoon in the previous year, plans were initiated to carry out large-scale reclamation in Western District. Due to funding shortages and disputes with the existing Marine lot holders and the military over land rights along the Praya, the plans were not sanctioned. After a 30-year hiatus, the Praya Reclamation Scheme was revived by the taipan of Hong Kong and Kowloon
Wharf and Godown Co, Paul Chater, on 13 July 1887. Consensus was reached between the government and the business sector, and the largest reclamation project since the middle of the nineteenth century was allowed to proceed. The reclamation works extended westwards to the gas works of Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd at West Point and eastwards to Murray Pier in Central. The reclamation covered a distance of 3,400 yards (10,200 feet), with a width of 250 feet, yielding an area of 58.7 acres. Upon completion, there was to be a minimum average depth of 20 feet of water along the seawall after reclamation.
The plan proposed by Paul Chater accorded closely with society's needs at the time. In the 1880s, the seabed along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island was silted up by sediments from the Pearl River Delta. At low tide in spring, the shallowest part of the harbour had a depth of less than 20 feet. With ever larger ocean-going vessels entering service, the very large ships could no longer moor in the waters off the northern coast. Reclamation along the northern coastline would help resolve the berthing problem for the ocean vessels, and the land gained from reclamations would relieve pressure generated by the rising influx of immigrants in the late nineteenth century. According to the then Surveyor General, J. M. Price, Hong Kong had a net population increase of 1,500 persons in 1873; that figure jumped to 8,000 in 1887. Large areas of flat land were required on Hong Kong Island to meet the pressing housing needs86.
Of the 58.7 acres of land created by the Praya Reclamation Scheme (from Western District to Central), approximately 5.5 acres was reserved for government use; the remaining 53.2 acres was held by the existing Marine lot holders, 27 acres of which was dedicated to the building of roads and streets, with the balance of 26.2 acres made available for commercial and residential developments. An estimated 1,320 tenements were to be built to house 39,000 people. Based on the net population increase of 7,000-8,000 people in 1887, the reclaimed area would be sufficient to meet the additional housing requirements for the next five years87. This would ameliorate
71
Table 2.2 Praya Reclamation Scheme - Estimated Reclamation Areas (1888)
Development Undertaken by Private Sector
Development Undertaken
First Second Third Fourth Fifth Section Section Section Section Section
Sixth Section
Seventh Section
by
Total
Government
Area
(sq ft)
197,707
114,080
197,865
50,605
155,021
240,233
185,033
2.2
A view of Central after
completion of the Praya
Lot No
Reclamation Scheme in
1903.
184-191, 81, 90-94,
198-199, 106
204-205
37, 57-58,
68-69,
71,200
35, 225,
227,
232-238
21-22, 38-39,
41, 44-51, 63,
59-61, 73-80,
206-224
10, 10A, 10B,
12-15, 18, 53A,
53-56, 62, 63A, 66,99-100
2A, 2B, 2C,
1,140,544 [(about 26.2 acres)
5.5 acres
about
7, 102-104
Sources:
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Challenges for an Evolving City
72
the overcrowded districts of Western and Central and improve the sanitary conditions.
The fact that Paul Chater was able to garner widespread support for his plan was partly attributed to the plan's economic and technical feasibility, in addition to its ability to meet the pressing needs of society. The advantages of the plan included:
1. Low construction cost - As most of the construction cost was to be borne by the
existing Marine lot owners, the government only needed to be responsible for the reclamation cost of the areas adjacent to government properties: the areas extending northwards from the Cricket Ground, the City Hall, the Central Market, the Harbour Master's Office and the area opposite Marine lot 63 - approximately 5.5 acres of land. According to Paul Chater's estimated construction cost of HK$2 per square
foot, it would only cost the government around HK$480,000.
2. High investment return - It was estimated that the achievable price at the auctions would not be less than $4 per square foot, and the larger lots could be worth up to $12-15 per square foot. For the reclaimed land opposite the government properties in Central, the government could generate a net profit of not less then HK$1.5 million,
not to mention an annual revenue of HK$25,000 in Crown rent and HK$60,000 in
rates and other charges.
-
3. Reclamation expertise The government could apply the Pierre-perdue method, used between 1865 and 1868 in the vicinity of Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, and
in the 1868-1870 Bonham Strand West reclamation, to build a section of the Praya
wall. For more than 20 years, the seawall had stood up well against the harshest elements. This shows that by the 1870s, Hong Kong already possessed advanced reclamation expertise. Also, as the whole project was to be co-ordinated by the Public Works Department, close monitoring of the quality and progress of the works
was possible.
Despite its advantages, the Paul Chater's plan was not accepted without dissent. In July 1887, when the government consulted the owners of the Marine lots concerning
"Praya Reclamation Scheme", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1889, pp. 23-30. "Report on the Operation of the Public Works for the Year 1890", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1891,
No 13/91.
"Report of the Director of Public Works”, Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1893-1903. "Surveyor General's Department Report for the Year 1891", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, No 2/
92, p. 116.
the reclamation details, it encountered opposition from the Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd, which had its gas works at West Point. The manager of the company, F. W. Cross, believed that the reclamation cost of HK$2 per square foot was arrived at without performing detailed evaluation of engineering difficulties and material requirements.
As a result, the Marine lot owners in Western District would have to subsidise the lots
in Central, as the reclamation cost was likely to be much lower in Western District. Upon completion, the land lots in Central would be far more valuable than those in
Western District, yet the government did not take into account the differences in land values when setting the Crown rent on the reclaimed lots. Hong Kong and China Gas thus proposed that the reclamation scheme be divided into sections for construction
cost computations; cost apportionment and Crown rent were to be determined on the
basis of the level of construction difficulties and the characteristics of the areas88.
On 1 June 1888, the government completed the public consultation exercise on the reclamation scheme that started from the gas works at West Point to Murray Pier in Central. A report was submitted by the Surveyor General to the Colonial Secretary on the revised reclamation scheme. The plan called for the construction of a new Praya wall 3,400 yards long running almost parallel to the existing northern coastline at a distance of 250 feet from the shore along 20 feet of water. The government would be responsible for the building of 600 yards of the Praya wall, with the existing Marine lot owners assuming responsibility for the construction of the remaining 2,800 yards. Of the 250-foot width, 160 feet was allocated for the erection of building structures. Upon completion, the width of the existing Praya would increase to 75 feet. Of that, 65 feet was reserved for traffic use, and cargo landing and embarking, while building
73
1889
Table 2.3 Praya Reclamation Scheme-Expenditure and Valuation (1889-1903)
First Section
Second Section
Expenditure by Private Sector
Third Fourth Fifth
Sixth Seventh Section Section Section Section Section
(unit: HK$)
2.3
Exp. by Govt.
i
Total
Total
Estimated
1.89
2.72
1.73
3.02
1.74
1.83
1.36
construction cost per sq ft
Total
Assessed value per sq ft
374,232
310,854 345,233 153,044 270,690 440,315 251,860 2,146,228
362,369 | 2,508,597
A scene of the bustling Western Market. By
1939, there were 450,000 people residing in the City of Victoria.
2.4
The Praya, Central, before the commencement of large-scale reclamation in 1889.
5
7
7
7&10
8&10
8
Total
790,828
570,400 1,385,055
354,235 1,121,147 | 2,208,892 1,480,264 7,910,821 | 1,803,956 | 9,714,777
Actual Expenditure
1890 (private)
7,128
55,888
6,051
3,114
5,004
7,877
21,788 106,850
(government)
444
1,418
1891 (private)
42,019
34,580
65,662
6,553
9,188
755
14,631
32,305
34,922 141,772
31,817 204,450
(government)
814
2,520
1,400 48,472
53,206 257,656
1892 (private)
43,792
49,613
112,574
7,020
14,215
27,669
77,925 332,808
(government)
1,260
4,213
2,120 111,087
118,680 451,488
1893 (private)
24,985
35,455
33,076
1,822
3,428
5,666
(government)
304
1,003
1894 (private)
46,758
36,246
31,594
7,064
14,170
(government)
234
774
1895 (private)
63,318
6,202
36,698
55,692
8,671
(government)
9,727
1,698
1896 (private)
14,087
5,755
48,600
(government)
545
53,029
637
57,374
1,036
29,767
1,542
9,601 114,033
12,473
14,325 128,358
51,701 240,562
10,157
11,802
252,364
44,549 272,504
5,710
18,171 290,675
1897 (private)
24,596
11,706
43,961
(government)
1898 (private)
20,930 10,903
25,031
(government)
8,161
39,144 63,670
5,464 16,859
11,964 62,781 50,382 27,919 233,309
3,290 18,516 3,337 3,393
31,947 49,059 52,328 -15,716 174,482
5,661 -1,373
1,095 3,005
27,310 228,333
12,955
2.3
36,820 265,153
28,536 261,845
16,549 191,031
1899
NA
NA 229,651
1900
NA
ΝΑ
150,650
1901
NA
NA
91,772
1902
ΝΑ
ΝΑ
110,708
1903
NA
ΝΑ
72,708
2,895,831
20,932
Annual
Crown rent
3,630
2,092
3,632
928
2,838
4,414
3,398
Estimated
annual rates
and taxes
Sources:
60,000
CO 129/263, "Praya Reclamation Fund Statement of Expenditure to December 1893,"15 May 1894, p.39. "Praya Reclamation Scheme", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1889, pp.23-30.
"Surveyor General's Department Report for the Year 1891", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1892, No 2/92, p. 116. "Report on the Operation of the Public Works for the Year 1890", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1891, No 13/91. "Report of the Director of Public Works", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha & Co, 1893-1903.
2.4
Challenges for an Evolving City
2.5
76
2.6
2.7
|
2.8
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
Early twentieth century Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, with reclamation carried out at the Royal Naval Yard. In 1891, Hong Kong had a total population of approximately 220,000, with 156,000 (71%) living
on Hong Kong Island. Modernisation of Kowloon Peninsula commenced considerably later than the island's.
Tightly packed buildings along the waterfront of the City of Victoria after reclamation in 1903.
The Praya Reclamation Scheme, undertaken between 1889 and 1903, extended from the Gas Works in West Point to Murray Pier in Central. The scheme cost about HK$2.9 million and involved the construction of a new Praya wall that was 3,400 yards long.
Panoramic view of the City of Victoria at the end of the nineteenth century.
North shore of Hong Kong Island in 1935. The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was a landmark in Central.
ETUIT
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
2.9
77
2.10 Reclamation began in 1921 at the intersection of
Hennessy Road and Johnston Road in Wan Chai and extended to Percival Street in Causeway Bay. The photograph shows reclamation carried out for the construction of the seawall.
2.11 A major work item of the Praya East Reclamation Scheme - the expansion of the site formerly occupied by the Royal Naval Arsenal Yard.
2.11
ம்
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
2.10
owners were permitted to extend the verandahs and arcades of their buildings over the public footpath by 10 feet. Taking into account the seawall's building cost and the technical problems, the works were to be carried out in stages, commencing with sections 1 and 7, to be followed by sections 2 and 6, then sections 3, 5 and ending with 4. The areas covered by the Praya Reclamation Scheme are listed in Table 2.2.
The reclamation scheme got under way in 1889 and was completed in 1903. The estimated cost, actual expenditure, and the assessed land values upon completion
are tabulated in Table 2.3.
It can be seen from Table 2.3 that between 1890 and 1898, the private land owners had invested a total of HK$1,907,330. As the government ceased to disclose the expenditure by the land owners from 1899 onwards, it is not possible to work out the total sum invested by the private sector. During the corresponding period, the
administration spent HK$333,010 on the scheme. Available information reveals that a total of HK$2,895,831 had been invested in the reclamation scheme by 190389, about 15 per cent higher than the estimated cost. With the successful completion of the Praya Reclamation Scheme, Central and Western District possessed far higher development potential.
At the end of the 1880s, while carrying out the Western District - Central reclamation scheme at full pace, the government also invited tenders from the private sector to augment land space along the shoreline of Western District. Land expansion
activity carried out in the Kennedy Town area included: the seawall at Marine lots 126 and 2669, Beach Street through Collinson Street to the middle of Shek Tong Tsuio1, and the new Western Market". According to the 1887 data, more was expended on seawall constructions, repairs and maintenance than on reclamation works. Taking the 74,000-square-foot reclamation project near the Sailors' Home in Western District as an example, the seawall cost HK$73,000 to build but just HK$37,000 was spent on the reclamation 93.
Praya East Reclamation Scheme
In 1897, when the Western District-Central reclamation project was in full swing, the administration commenced planning for the Praya East Reclamation which
was to start from the junction of present-day Hennessy Road and Johnston Road, and terminate at present-day Percival Street. This was to alleviate the population density in the City of Victoria by making more urban land available. As the scheme required the demolition of Naval Hospital on Hospital Hill, Paul Chater, who advocated this plan, proposed relocating the hospital to Kowloon and then levelling Hospital Hill and
Morrison Hill. The earth removed from the hills would be used as fill material for the
planned reclamation. A tramway track could be laid on the reclaimed land to help
Challenges for an Evolving City
78
79
2.12 Bowrington Nullah in the
1930s was an important part of the Praya East Reclamation Scheme, with the construction of three bridges to span the nullah.
2.13 Royal Naval Yard in the 1930s
following reclamation.
2.14 New face of the Royal Naval
Yard following reclamation.
2.15 In the early twentieth century,
the area east of present-day Admiralty, between Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, was known as Praya East. View of Praya East prior to
reclamation.
Challenges for an Evolving City
80
2.12
2.13
2.14
ROYAL NAVAL CANTEEN
2.15
81
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Table 2.4 Praya East Reclamation Scheme Expenditure (1919-1931)
Reclamation and seawalls, including fill in Bowrington Canal, Royal Naval
camber; public piers to replace the piers
at Tin Lok Lane and Arsenal Street; a
refuse boat pier to replace the old pier
at Ship Street; adjustment of tramway
track
(unit: HK$)
Estimated
Actual Cost (1919) Expenditure
Cost
Cost Overrun Under run
Total Cost Overrun
1,794,500 2,070,459
275,959
Dredging
28,800
71,754
42,954
Drainage works-reclamation area
462,900
Drainage reconstruction and adjustment
in affected areas
326,000
Water mains reconstruction and adjust-
ment in affected areas
128,000
365,208
90,270
795,590 332,690
39,208
37,730
Roads
318,563
519,270 200,707
Reconstruction of buildings, etc
60,220
Amount chargeable to works shown in
64,697
236,259
105,542
176,039
40,845
the Treasury books as advance
Supervision
Extra payments
Total
Source:
200,000
243,070 43,070
924,071 924,071
3,383,680 5,421,493 | 2,075,543 37,730 2,037,813
"Praya East Reclamation Scheme: Final Report", Hong Kong Sessional Papers, Hong Kong, Noronha &
Co, 1931, No 1/1931, p. 6.
improve the transport conditions on Hong Kong Island94. In 1901, the government estimated that the scheme would yield up to seven million square feet of new developable land. Unfortunately, the Praya East reclamation project was held in abeyance for over 20 years, due to the Royal Navy's reservations regarding the relocation of Naval Hospital, the extra exemptions demanded by private Marine lot owners such as Jardine, Matheson & Co, and feasibility concerns with regard to the levelling of Morrison Hill.
Through the perseverance of Paul Chater, who represented the Marine lot holders and was a member of the Executive Council, the plan was sanctioned by the Executive Council on 4 May 1920, after the Royal Navy agreed to relocate Naval Hospital to Stonecutters Island. In 1921, Ordinance No 17 was enacted to allow the Praya East Reclamation to proceed. On 9 September 1921, Messrs Sang Lee & Co won the tender for the reclamation works. For a contract sum of HK$2,766,900 it was responsible for
the construction of the seawall and the warehouses along the Praya; the transportation of earth from Morrison Hill for reclamation use; the building of two public piers (one was 120.7 feet long by 35.3 feet wide; the other was T-shaped, with a length of 40 feet and widths of 21.3 feet and 41.2 feet); a refuse boat pier of 63 feet long by 58 feet wide and 15.2 feet deep; and a refuse storage shed measuring 58 feet by 32.5 feet 95. Within the reclamation area, the contract for the stormwater drain project connecting the grandstand at the Happy Valley racecourse to the new Praya was successfully tendered out on 20 October. However, no information is available on the contract sum. As for dredging work, Anglo-Chinese Engineering Association Ltd was granted a contract on 24 October to construct a Priestman grab dredger at a cost of HK$76,000. The dredger was to be used to dredge the trenches for the foundations of the seawall. The Praya East Reclamation Scheme cost HK$3,744,000, according to the estimates made by the government in 19219%.
The reclamation formally began on 1 November 1921. Initially, it was estimated that the project would be completed within six years. Beset by a multitude of problems, it suffered delay and was not finished until 1931, at a cost of HK$5.421 million. The sum was approximately HK$2.037 million higher than the estimates made in 1919 of around HK$3.384 million, and was $1.677 million more than the 1921 revised estimates of HK$3.744 million. The cost to the private owners who participated in the reclamation and received land allotments came to HK$2.41 per square foot, which was much higher than the original estimate of HK$1.50597.
The Praya East Reclamation required the use of a total of 3,111,099 cubic yards of fill material. Of this amount, 2,906,120 cubic yards came from Morrison Hill; the remaining 204,979 cubic yards was sourced mostly from East Point Hill (Jardine's Lookout). An approximately 90 acres of new land was to be created. The seawall was 4,995 feet long and was finished in May 192998. A 2,300-foot section of the old Praya East roadway was reconstructed and widened to 75 feet and became Johnson Road, while another 3,600 feet of this road (now part of Hennessey Road) was increased to 100 feet in width. The scheme built a total of 13,645 feet of roads that had a width of 75 feet and another 2,080 feet that was 100 feet wide. These newly built roads required the re-laying of approximately 5,000 feet of tramway track".
Several problems were encountered during the reclamation. Besides the construction of the seawall and new piers, the existing drainage system on Nos 68-80, 99-116 of Praya East had to be raised by two feet in order to bring it into alignment with the new drainage system100. This caused problems to the ground floor levels of some of the old houses and Queen's Road East needed to be raised as well. New sewers installed at the reclamation area totalled 22,239 feet in length, with another 16,276 feet of stormwater drains and 22,780 feet of water mains laid. For areas affected by the reclamation,
Challenges for an Evolving City
82
83
2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19
The Praya East reclamation took place between 1921 and 1931, resulting in the formation of 86 acres
of land at a cost of HK$5.42 million. Views of the
Wan Chai waterfront captured from the end of the
nineteeth century to the 1930s.
2.16
►
18,993 feet of sewers had to be rebuilt and 14,360 feet of stormwater drains reconstructed.
The government also needed to construct a 36-foot wide nullah at the Bowrington Canal
Bridge for a distance of 650 feet to connect the road drainage to the seafront. Three bridges were built to span the Bowrington Nullah: the bridge on Hennessy Road was 100 feet wide
and carried a double-track tramway, while the bridges on Lockhart Road and Gloucester
Road each had a width of 75 feet. The bridge on Leighton Road Hill had to be reconstructed to accommodate the raising of the road level 101. The original plan was to construct a roadway with stormwater culverts from the race course grand stand at Happy Valley to Tonnochy
Road to connect to the Wong Nei Chung Valley drainage system. This plan had to be abandoned due to the presence of large core of hard granite rocks on the Morrison Hill site. Road improvement works were also required in Arsenal Street, East Point and Morrison Hill Road, as well stormwater drainage construction in Happy Valley. All such works involved resumption of properties. The estimated cost borne by the government for the Praya East Reclamation Scheme came to HK$2.185 million102.
2.17
2.18
2.19
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
85
2.20
2.20 By the early twentieth century,
Kennedy Town was already an important residential/commer-
cial area and served by trams.
2.21 The broad Des Voeux Road
West in the early twentieth cen- tury symbolised the expansion of
the city nucleus.
2.22 The Praya East reclamation added 16,000 feet of new road- way and re-laid 5,000 feet of
tram track.
2.23 Wan Chai after the 1930s
reclamation.
Challenges for an Evolving City
86
Although the reclamation was plagued with problems, the completion of the Praya East Reclamation yielded a total area of about 3,739,600 square feet (85.85 acres)103. The reclamation resulted in the erection of 608 Chinese houses along the Praya, equipped with modern hygiene facilities. Other new building structures that sprouted up included a godown, a restaurant, a garage, a service station, workshops, showrooms, a petrol station and store, a cinema, and the new seamen's institute 104.
Besides making more land available, the early reclamation also helped to solve the hygienic problems plaguing the densely populated areas. This was a benefit that escaped most people's notice. Since the establishment of the Sanitary Board in 1883, most of the coastal swamp areas used for dumping rubbish and filth were filled and turned into dry land, in order to eradicate this health hazard. Dwellings were then
erected on the land thus formed. In 1883, areas that were reclaimed as a result of
hygienic concerns included Causeway Bay and Lap Sap Wan (in Western District) on Hong Kong Island, as well as Yau Ma Tei on the Kowloon Peninsula. The Causeway Bay dumping ground was situated at a swamp south of the typhoon shelter, with an area of 26 acres. Upon completion of reclamation, five acres was allocated for road building and another 21 acres of land was used to erect warehouses. The whole project required the use of 300,000 cubic yards of earth. With an estimated cost of HK$0.09
per cubic yard, the reclamation cost was about HK$27,000. Adding the HK$3,000
construction cost for the stalls along the shore, the total estimated cost came to around HK$30,000. The actual expenditure on the Causeway Bay reclamation project was HK$24,000105. With an estimated value of HK$4,000 an acre, the 21 acres of reclaimed land was worth around HK$84,000106. The Yau Ma Tei dumping ground reclamation scheme cost about HK$20,000, with another sum of HK$23,158 incurred on sewerage works, making a total expenditure of HK$43,158107. From the above examples, one can see that swamp reclamation was rather inexpensive and offered high financial returns. It could also resolve the sanitary problems that plagued the dumping grounds.
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2.23
2.22
2.21
Challenges for an Evolving City
Development of the Kowloon Peninsula
i
2.24 The Kowloon City shoreline in the early twentieth century retained a strong
rural flavour.
Part II Expansion of the City Nucleus (1883-1945)
Kowloon Peninsula Reclamation
The terms governing the sale of Crown land on the Kowloon Peninsula were largely the same as those applied to Hong Kong Island lots. The lots were categorised into four types, based on location and use criteria: Marine, Inland, Rural Building and Garden. The government allowed the purchasers the use of the lots on a lease basis, normally for a term of 75 years. The Marine lots were further divided into two types: true Marine lots and quasi-Marine lots. True Marine lots were bounded on one side by the sea at high water mark whereas the quasi-Marine lots were bounded by a public street interposed between the lot and the sea 108.
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