Tymon Mellor: In the late 1960’s the HK Government commissioned a comprehensive geological survey of Hong Kong, to establish and document the territories geology. The Geological Survey of Hong Kong, was undertaken between 1967-1969, and published in 1971. The report was prepared by the Overseas Division of the Institute of Geological Science, working for the Ministry of Overseas Development (London) […]
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Tymon Mellor: The development of the Hong Kong road network has allowed the territory to expand and develop into the sophisticated city it now is. From the arrival of the British in Hong Kong in 1841, construction of new roads commenced almost immediately and continues to this day. The first road to be built was Queens Road, starting in May, […]
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With the ceding of Kowloon to the British in 1860, under the Convention of Peaking, development of the barren headland begin. What had been an area for boat building and small villages became a city with roads and services. Naming of the roads was a problem. The initial development on Kowloon was a military camp and by 1864 this became […]
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Mining is always a high risk enterprise, but in the case of the Lam Tsuen lead mines, it was compounded by remote terrain, objecting villagers and corrupt officials. This is the story of the lead mines on the Lam Tsuen river at Ng Tung Chai, near Tai Po. After the Second World War, interest in mining picked up with the […]
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Tymon Mellor: Mining for Wolframite at Sha Lo Wan started in late 1951 and by March, 1952 around 700 miners, growing to 1500 were working the hillsides on North Lantau. After an initial find in a gully on a weathered outcrop, the miners started digging tunnels to extract the minerals from the veins. Mining continued throughout the 50’s and into […]
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Tymon Mellor: At the end of the Second World War, the returning British forces found a Japanese radar station on the top of Tai Mo Shan. This discovery highlighted the technical strength of the Japanese military. The theory behind radar had been established in the 1920’s with developments in Britain, US, USSR and Japan. However, whereas the British and Americans military […]
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Tymon Mellor: The Lin Fa Shan mine is located in a remote area of the Tai Mo Shan country park, on a steep west facing slope of Lin Fa Shan. The surrounding hills sides have all been mined with shallow excavations searching for Wolframite, the natural ore of Tungsten. At the peak of mining, thousands of miners excavated small headings looking […]
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Fanling was once the home of Hong Kong’s second race course, Kwanti just off the Sha Tau Kok Road. The site was managed by the Fanling Hunt and Race Club on grounds leased by the Jockey Club for grazing. An inaugural steeple chase meeting was held on the 30 October, 1926 and the course and adjacent stables operated until the […]
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Following the signing of the agreement with China on the 9th June, 1898 to extend the Colony of Hong Kong, a survey was undertaken of the “mainland and islands adjacent to Hongkong” that had been leased to Great Britain. Over the summer of 1898, Mr Stewart Lockhart, assisted by the naval authorities with H.M.S. Plover led a Commission to survey […]
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Tymon Mellor: In November 1937, the Whampoa docks at Hung Hom were connected to the KCR by a 1.090ft siding down Baker Street. The line would provide access to the new 100T tower crane that was to be completed in 1938. As reported in the KCR 1937 Report for the year; “The crane is located alongside water which is deep […]
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