23 Coombe Road, The Peak – To Stay or to Go?
Posted: November 10th, 2011 | 3 Comments »Apparently Hong Kong Government heritage advisers, the Antiquities Advisory Board, are ‘considering’ upgrading the historic rating of the oldest surviving residence on The Peak. Hutchison Whampoa (wouldn’t you know it!) would like to demolish the building. The building does now urgently need to be moved up from Grade II status. The property, a European style mansion at 23 Coombe Road – more details here from the excellent Gwulo: Old Hong Kong site. It dates back to the 1870s and was built for an Irishman John Joseph Francis who was a military officer and later a barrister. What exactly the vandals at Hutchison Whampoa want to replace it with remains unclear – ‘redevelopment’ is all they’re saying.
Heritage is definitely more of a battleground in Hong Kong today than it was previously when the developers and big property companies ruled the roost utterly and the SAR lost some marvellous structures, properties and even old trees to be replaced with, eerrr, mostly more shopping malls actually. Now we know Hong Kongers like to shop but surely they don’t need to do it on the site of the oldest property on The Peak (or maybe they do scarily!!). There has been some resistance, brilliantly often from young people, the ones most curmudgeons like to say don’t care! But seems a lot of them do. We’ll see how this fight develops.
However, HKSAR planned to grant a piece of countryside land to replace the site for building another new one.
Where is the balance point between keeping our valuable natural environment and heritage ?
Ivan 91810899
well, I’d argue preservation is about preserving the past not moving it about a bit
Hello.
Please reply. Where did you get that old photo of when 23 was still pink? I knew a family that lived there, and perhaps were THE LAST family to live there. Would LOVE to see some of the old photos if you have.
Yours Truly,
Rex