Ho Tung Gardens, also known by its Cantonese name 'Hiu Kok Yuen', was a villa on
the Peak,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. It was built by
Robert Hotung
Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman, (22 December 1862 – 26 April 1956), also known as Sir Robert Ho Tung, was a businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong. Known as "the grand old man of Hong Kong" (), he was knighted in 1915 (Knight Bachel ...
and his wife Clara in 1927. They referred to it as "The Falls", but it later became known as Ho Tung Gardens.
In 2011, it was listed as a
Grade I historic building by the
Antiquities Advisory Board
The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establish ...
(AAB). Invoking the relevant section of the
Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance
The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, in Hong Kong Law (Cap. 53), was enacted in 1976 to preserve the objects of historical, archaeological and palaeontological interest and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith. It is admini ...
for the fourth time in history, it was declared a "
proposed historic monument" by the
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino-Br ...
in 2011.
[ Negotiations between the owner and the government to save the mansion failed, and demolition work was completed in October 2013.
]
Etymology
While the property is known by the name of 'Ho Tung Gardens' in Chinese () after its original owner, the property's alternative given Chinese name is "''Hiu Kok Yuen''" () – an amalgam of names of Ho and his second wife, Clara. Hotung's alternative Chinese name Hiu-sang (); his wife was Cheung Lin-kok ().["Historic Building Appraisal, Ho Tung Gardens"]
, Item 38, ''Brief Information on Proposed Grade I Items'', Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong
History
Plot history
The site, reported to be a lot,[ was originally known as "The Falls", because of a stream in the vicinity.][ Originally owned by C.D. Wilkinson, the site was sold to Ho in about 1923 or 1924. Its street address at the time was 82 Aberdeen Road, RBL No. 28. and was changed in 1924 to No. 254. Later, it became No. 75 Peak Road. Lease plans of 1923 and 1928 indicate that the mansion of Ho Tung Gardens was built on the foundations of "The Falls".
]
Construction
The 4,000 square feet[Ip, Kelly (6 January 2012)]
"It's flat crazy".
''The Standard''. residence was constructed between 1927 and 1938.[ The compound was designed by Palmer and Turner Architects, a noted architectural practice, in a ]Chinese Renaissance
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
style. It is known that the 2-storey main building was built in 1927, whilst parts of the gardens, in particular the ornamental gateway, were completed in 1938, after the death of Lady Hotung. Within the extensive gardens are a pavilion and a 5-storey pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
, built with reinforced concrete and Chinese roof-tiles.[ One of the pavilions in the gardens also house calligraphy by Qing Dynasty officials, ]Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong (; 26 November 1811 – 12 March 1872), birth name Zeng Zicheng, courtesy name Bohan, was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang A ...
and Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty.
Born in Xiangyin County ...
.[
]
Uses and visitors
According to the Peak Reservation Ordinance, only Europeans were allowed to live on Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island, ranked 29 in terms of elevation in H ...
. Hotung, who was half-European and half-Chinese, was already living on the Peak when the law was enacted. Ho had a retreat on The Peak named "The Neuk", at 48 Aberdeen Road, but he primarily lived at a property named "Idlewild" at 8 Seymour Road in the city. Ho never lived in Ho Tung Gardens.[
As a prominent businessman at the time, Hotung received many famous visitors at the villa, including ]George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
;[Leung, Regina (25 January 2011). "Government declares Ho Tung Gardens villa 'proposed historic monument'", ''South China Morning Post''] US Vice President John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner III (November 22, 1868 – November 7, 1967), known among his contemporaries as "Cactus Jack", was an American History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician and lawyer from History of Texas, Texas who ...
visited in 1935.[ It was commandeered as a military base to fight the Japanese Imperial Army in 1941. Parts of the structure, including the roof, were damaged in heavy fighting and the building became dilapidated thereafter. In 1946, Hotung sought compensation from the government for the damage; the building was then renovated several times.][ The property has been extensively modified.][
Hotung's son, Robert, lived on the property between the 1960s and 1990s, and ownership passed onto granddaughter Ho Min-kwan in 2003.][Chong, Dennis (26 January 2011)]
"Hotung Peak villa saved from jaws of developers"
, ''The Standard''
2010s
The owner, Hotung's granddaughter, applied for permission to redevelop in mid-2010; technical approval was gained from the Buildings Department in December 2010 as it satisfied planning requirements.[ According to building plan submitted – by the original firm that designed the villa,][Ng, Joyce (29 Jan 2011). "Ho Tung Gardens owner told of listing", ''South China Morning Post''] 11 blocks of four-storey houses would be built; a total floor area would be 60,000 square feet.[ The case came before the ]Antiquities Advisory Board
The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was establish ...
in July 2010,[ where it was listed as a Grade I historic building,][Report No. 60 of the Director of Audit]
Chapter 1: "Conservation of monuments and historic buildings"
28 March 2013. although such declaration does not confer statutory protection. In late January 2011, the Government of Hong Kong invoked the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance
The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, in Hong Kong Law (Cap. 53), was enacted in 1976 to preserve the objects of historical, archaeological and palaeontological interest and for matters ancillary thereto or connected therewith. It is admini ...
for the fourth time in history, declared it a " proposed historic monument", thus imposing a 12-month moratorium on redevelopment of the site, pending negotiations with the owner.[Ng, Joyce (26 Jan 2011). "Ho Tung mansion saved from demolition", ''South China Morning Post''] In October 2011, two government consultancy reports, by experts at the University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...
and submitted to the Antiquity Advisory Board, concluded that it has high historical and architectural value. On 24 October 2011, the Antiquities Advisory Board approved the government proposal to declare the Ho Tung Gardens on the Peak a monument. Bernard Chan, Chairman of the AAB argued to preserve the mansions because "The choice of a very Chinese-looking style of architecture for the new house in 1927 ... was a statement that a racial barrier was being broken. It was also a declaration by Hotung that he was different from his neighbors, who were only living in the colony temporarily before going home." However, some other architectural historians believe that the mansion is an ordinary piece of architecture at the time that cannot be compared with other examples of "Chinese Renaissance" architecture such as King Yin Lei
King Yin Lei () is an historic mansion in the Mid-Levels area of Hong Kong. It is within the Wan Chai District.
History and design
The mansion was designed by British architect A.R. Fenton-Raven (Husband of Viola, father of Wynne (Ward) and Dor ...
and Haw Par Mansion
Haw Par Mansion, better known for its public gardens known as Tiger Balm Garden or Aw Boon Haw Garden, was a mansion and gardens located at 15, Tai Hang Road, Tai Hang, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong. The Tiger Balm Garden was demolished for r ...
.[Benitez, Mary Ann (19 December 2011)]
"Just leave my home alone"
. ''The Standard''.
In December 2011, the government announced that it would declare Hotung Gardens a protected monument prior to the expiry of the temporary injunctive declaration made in January. This put the government at loggerheads with the site's owner, who insisted on retaining the site and living in one of the ten units she wished to have built there. Ho Min-kwan argued that the existing main building is "unexceptional ... does not have the requisite historical or architectural value or authenticity; it is not a rare example of an architectural style, and it is not a distinctive building structure." She also noted that her grandfather never lived there, and that the main building had already been converted into six apartments.[
The government announced in early December 2012 that it would not declare the house a monument after all. The secretary for development, Paul Chan admitted a policy failure and said the government believed that "not everyone would agree with spending billions of dollars of public money on private heritage sites" – the valuation was between HK$3 billion and 7 billion. Demolition work of the principal building started in July 2013 and was completed in late October, paving the way for construction of a series of town houses on the site.]['Central Station' (25 October 2013)]
"Bye-bye mansion dream, hello $25 billion"
, ''The Standard''
Ho Tung Gardens was sold in February 2015 for a sum of HKD5.1 billion. At HKD82,258 per sq.ft of buildable area, this marks the most expensive residential plot sold by private tender in Hong Kong. The sale also shone the global spotlight on the property, with the deal placing Peak Road atop the list of ‘The World's Top 10 Most Exclusive Streets’ in survey results released in July 2015 by Billionaire.com - notably above Upper Fifth Avenue in the United States and Knightsbridge in London. The new buyer is alleged to be Cheung Chung Kiu, Chairman of C C Land Holdings Ltd. The 120,000 sq.ft site is expected to be redeveloped, and as per Cap 117 Part IIIA Division 5 of the Stamp Duty Ordinance, will grant the buyer a refund of HKD980 million in stamp duty should the redevelopment go ahead.[ ]
See also
*Ho Tung Lau
Ho Tung Lau () is a former area northeast of Lok Lo Ha in Sha Tin, near the MTR and on the former shore of Sha Tin Hoi, in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Maps from the mid-1960s onward shifted Ho Tung Lau southwest-ward to the same location ...
References
External links
Hotunggardens2011
– A study commissioned by Heritag
Hong Kong Foundation Limited
to formulate "after use" options of Ho Tung Gardens for the Government of Hong Kong
{{Heritage conservation in Hong Kong , state=collapsed
Former buildings and structures in Hong Kong
Monuments and memorials in Hong Kong
Victoria Peak
Houses completed in 1927
Grade I historic buildings in Hong Kong