| Ho Tung Lau | |
|---|---|
何東樓 | |
 Historical photograph of Ho Tung Lau in 1923, withKCR railway at the foreground. | |
 | |
| Former names | Wah Kiu College, Arcullis Camp, St. Andrew College |
| Alternative names | Windermere (海天漁廬), Eight Pointed Lau (八角樓) |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Private Mansion |
| Location | Fo Tan,New Territories, Hong Kong |
| Named for | Robert Hotung |
| Completed | August 1923; 101 years ago (1923-08) |
| Demolished | Late 1970s |
| Owner | Ho Sai Wing |
Ho Tung Lau (Chinese:何東樓), is a former area encompassing roughly current dayThe Palazzo to northeast ofLok Lo Ha inSha Tin, near theMTR and on the former shore ofSha Tin Hoi, in the New Territories, Hong Kong.[1][2]
The name of Ho Tung Lau is derived from the name of successful businessmanRobert Hotung, with the characterLau (樓) meaning "a building" in Cantonese. Before the 1960s, the name referred to the estate ofRobert Hotung's adopted son Ho Sai Wing, who bought a piece of reclaimed land near theSha Tin Hoi and built a mansion called Windermere (referencingLake Windermere in theUnited Kingdom).[2]
Today Ho Tung Lau is more likely to be associated with the area near theHo Tung Lau Maintenance Centre. TheFo Tan MTR station is also next to the maintenance centre. Three private housing estates,Royal Ascot,The Palazzo, andJubilee Garden have been developed on the old area of Ho Tung Lau.[3]
In 1923,Robert Hotung's adopted son Ho Sai Wing brought a plot of reclaimed land on the shore ofSha Tin Hoi next to the formerKCR railway, and built a holiday mansion on it. ReferencingLake Windermere in theUnited Kingdom, the mansion was namedWindermere (Chinese:海天漁廬).[2] The mansion was also known as Ho Tung Lau (Chinese:何東樓) and Eight Pointed Lau (Chinese:八角樓) by the locals. The mansion's main building was built in a Colonial style with an encompassingveranda. It is two storeys tall, with twoCant Bays on both sides of the main entrance terminating on the second floor, itsroof serves as abalcony. Aoctagonalpavilion stands points out from the top of the structure (hence the name Eight Pointed Lau). In addition to the main building, staircases connect to an accompanying two-storey living quarter on the side of the mansion.[4] There also stands acolonnaded single storey building detached from the main mansion on the other side of the plot.[5] In front of the mansion is a sports ground.[6]
During the Windermere mansion's early days, each summer Ho Sai Wing and his family would come to spend some holiday time.Robert Hotung's wife Margaret Mak (aka Maclean, 麥秀英; 1865–1944) visited the mansion three times, butRobert Hotung never actually visited the mansion. The mansion prompted people to settle around the area, later creating the settlement Ho Tung Lau Village.[5]
In 1938, due to war and instability inFoshan,China, Fo Shan Wah Ying College (Chinese:佛山華英中學) moved to Hong Kong and established their school by renting Ho Tung Lau (Windermere mansion and its grounds). They renamed to Wah Kiu College (Chinese:華橋工商學院) and continued operations until 1941 when theJapanese Invasion of Hong Kong forced them to relocate toLiuzhou. AfterWorld War II ended in 1945, Wah Kiu College continued operations in Ho Tung Lau. At its peak the school had over 2000 students. Eventually it became part of theUnited College of Hong Kong, predecessor of theChinese University Of Hong Kong.[7]
Following in 1949 whenThe People's Republic of China defeatedNationalist China, the BritishRoyal Air Force established a permanent airstrip and airbase inSha Tin Hoi namedSha Tin Airfield. The government forced Wah Kiu College to leave due to needing Ho Tung Lau to act as an army camp, and in the summer of 1949 ended the last academic year at Ho Tung Lau campus.[8][7] Ho Tung Lau was renamed Arcullis Camp, and served as the accommodation for both members of thearmy andRoyal Air Force (RAF). The grounds also served as aRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshop, aphotographic darkroom, and admin office.[9]
.jpg)
In 1955 a ferry service was commenced that connectedMa On Shan to Ho Tung Lau, it aimed to connect the villages in the two areas as well as makeMa On Shan more accessible for work and vacation.The service operated from 6am to 6:30pm at 30 minute intervals, with a fare of 50 cents.[10][11] According to maps in 1970, the Ho Tung Lauferry service's pier was not located at the original Windermere mansion, but rather northeast of Ho Tung Lau at the former officer's mess ofSha Tin Airfield.[12][13] This led to the name "Ho Tung Lau" to be referred to the pier and its adjacent building northeast of Lok Lo Ha.[14][15] At around the same time a bus service also commenced, serving the residents of Ho Tung Lau Village.[6]
In the 1st of September 1962, Typhoon Wanda severely damagedSha Tin Airfield's facilities and planes. TheRAF then ceased all operations in Sha Tin and abandoned Ho Tung Lau.[16] In the late 1960s, St. Andrew College (Chinese:聖安德烈書院) briefly used Ho Tung Lau (mansion) as their campus, it is not known when the mansion was eventually abandoned.[6]
After the government reclaimed the Ho Tung Lau area for development in 1966,KCR Staff Quarters and theHo Tung Lau Maintenance Centre was built on reclaimed land next toFo Tan in Sha Tin with its north end in Lok Lo Ha.[5] After 1975, more land was reclaimed to facilitate the maintenance centre's southward expansion, and Ho Tung Lau (mansion) was eventually demolished in the late 1970s.[3][Notes 1]
22°23′44″N114°11′57″E / 22.39560°N 114.19917°E /22.39560; 114.19917
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)