![Victoria Peak Garden 201607](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Victoria_Peak_Garden_201607.jpg)
Victoria Peak Garden is a Victorian style garden near the summit of
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 ...
in
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 ...
. The former
Mountain Lodge
Mountain Lodge was the former summer residence of the Governor of Hong Kong on Victoria Peak on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The second building was a two-storey Renaissance style home and was demolished in 1946. The site is now the ...
, an alternate residence for the
Governor of Hong Kong
The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. ...
, was located there, which has since been demolished, but the park remains as an attraction at the Peak. It is managed by the
Leisure and Cultural Services Department
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...
.
It is a vantage point which captures an over 300m high view of
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...
and the night scene of Hong Kong. The original landscape remains in the garden. Unlike most of the public parks in Hong Kong, dogs and other pet animals are allowed in the garden.
Future development
The Hong Kong government announced on 25 September 2005 that the site will be redeveloped along with the rest of the Peak area.
[Visitors' hotspot to undergo facelift]
, news.gov.hk September 25, 2005 (archive)
The ample open space, vast amount of grassy lawn and stream course at the site will be preserved. To bring out the heritage elements, the garden will be enhanced with Victorian style features including gazebos, benches, sun-dials and colourful flowers. Artifacts from the Victorian era, such as stone pillars and carvings, will be displayed to enrich the visitors' experience.
The new pavilion will comprise four
pergola
A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. The ...
s at the corners and Victorian
colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...
s to link up the pergolas. This will offer ample shade and a resting place for the public. The existing kiosk and toilet will also be reconstructed to boost the garden's Victorian ambience.
The $142.6 million tourist district improvement project, scheduled to finish around the end of 2007, will help create three new tourism nodes -
Mount Austin Playground,
Gate Lodge
A gatekeeper's lodge or gate lodge is a small, often decorative building, situated at the entrance to the estate of a mansion or country house. Originally intended as the office and accommodation for a gatekeeper who was employed by the landown ...
and Peak Garden, on the Peak.
See also
*
List of urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong
Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong include:
Note: Most public parks and gardens in Hong Kong are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
Hong Kong Island
* Aberdeen Promenade (Aberdeen)
* Aldrich Bay Park ( Al ...
References
External links
The Film Services Office
{{Government buildings in Hong Kong
Government buildings in Hong Kong
Landmarks in Hong Kong
Official residences in Hong Kong
Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong
Victoria Peak