Green Island Cement Company photographs – Set 2 – late 1940s
Jane Taylor: My grandfather, Robert Taylor, appears to have started out in Macau in 1912 and moved to Hong Kong around 18 months later. He served as manager of the Green Island Cement Company, I think from the late 1920s, until his retirement in 1949. Recently discovered family photographs show the manager’s house clearly, and also its pre- and post-war interiors. Much work had to be done after the war to make it habitable again.
The interior shots of the Manager’s house are mostly in an album, so I’ve been reduced to photographing them on my iPad. The originals are small, but pin-sharp, and I’m hoping to copy them later more effectively. For me, one of the most exciting discoveries has been that, with a jeweller’s loupe, it’s possible to see photographs, pictures and ornaments very clearly. This has enabled me to date these photographs reasonably accurately and study them more closely than might be apparent from my iPad copies.
HF: Jane has sent a large number of photos copied from the album. There are three groups with Jane’s comments:-
a) an interior set which show Chinese-style, ebonised/blackwood furniture and which would have been taken no later than 1938 and no earlier than 1930 – my guess would be the later date. (See: Green Island Cement Company photographs – Set 1 1930s linked below)
b) another interior set showing rooms furnished with contemporary post WW2 Western furniture
c) exterior shots (HF: I think undated)
HF: I think it best to post the photos by the group and thought we would continue with the interior post-WW2 photographs.
Jane tells us the second set of photos shows rooms furnished with contemporary Western furniture. These are post-War, and will have been taken either in 1947 or ’48. I know this because a couple of them show my Dad’s graduation photograph from October 1946; and my grandfather retired in March 1949.
But first here are two more pictures which show people as well as surroundings: the first is Grandpa, tuning in to his wireless (pre-war) presumably in the dining room.
The second is Grandpa at a tea table with unknown lady and siamese cat – evidently taken by my grandmother. I haven’t a clue where it was taken as the room has a different ‘feel’ from the others in the house but don’t know where else it might be… definitely Hong Kong, though.
And now the post war interior shots.
This article was first posted on 1st September 2014.
Related Indhhk articles:
- Green Island Cement Company photographs – Set 1 1930s
- Green Island Cement – manager late 1920s to 1949 indentified + photos of earlier manager’s house?
- Green Island Cement Company – stunning photos
- Green Island Cement Works – BAAG report 1945
- Robert Gordon Shewan – CLP, Green Island Cement and HK Rope Manufacturing
- Ling Hang Quarry – supplier to Green Island Cement Company