Pinewood Battery is a historic military site in Hong Kong, located above sea level,
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Lung Fu Shan Country Park Lung Fu Shan Country Park, established 18 December 1998, is a country park in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong. It covers the densely vegetated slopes of Lung Fu Shan (''aka.'' Hill Above Belcher's), and includes the disused Pin ...

, in the northwestern part of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...

History

Construction of the battery started in 1901 and finished in 1905. During the

Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...

, the Battery came under repeated air raids. On 15 December 1941, the Japanese 23rd Army Air Group carried out extensive attacks on Hong Kong Island. Pinewood Battery, manned by the 17th AA Battery 5th Anti-Air Regiment

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, was severely damaged. The raid caused one death and one injury. One of the antiaircraft guns and certain other facilities were destroyed. The commander of the defending troops decided to abandon the battery, and all men were ordered to retreat on that day.

Conservation status

All the old battery buildings are in a ruinous condition and two of the old magazines were demolished in fairly recent times. The military structures on Pinewood Battery received a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

conservation status in 2009.List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings in Building Assessment
(as of 27 December 2013) A heritage trail has been created on the site, which is also part of the

Central and Western Heritage Trail The Central and Western Heritage Trail is a Heritage Trail in Hong Kong, that was designed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. It covers the Central and Western District of Hong Kong and consist ...

, Western District and the Peak Route. The site and the buildings are 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 cultura ...

, while maintenance is the responsibility of the

Architectural Services Department The Architectural Services Department is a department of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the design and construction of many public facilities throughout the territory. It is subordinate to the Works Branch of the Development Bu ...

.Brief Information on Proposed Grade II Items. Item #386

The site today

The area has been converted into a picnic site. Interpretive signs are erected to illustrate the historical significance of this Battery. With its excellent environment, the Battery became a spot for

wargaming A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

. To prevent further damage to the site, the Country and Marine Parks Authority, AFCD set up a warning sign on the site, stating that "''using or possession of any firearm, airgun, propelling or releasing instrument are prohibited''". However, many plastic BB bullets are still found on the site. Image:Lung Fu Shan Pinewood Battery 1.jpg, Towards Pinewood Battery File:Pinewood Battery 2.jpg, Abandoned buildings File:Old stairs of Pinewood Battery.jpg, Old staircase Image:Lung Fu Shan Pinewood Battery 4.jpg, Sign prohibiting wargaming

References

{{Coord, 22.277744, 114.135771, type:landmark_region:HK, display=title Central and Western District, Hong Kong Forts in Hong Kong Artillery batteries Grade II historic buildings in Hong Kong