Aberdeen Technical School

HF: Many thanks to SCT for proofreading the following retyped copy of the original printed document.

Aberdeen Technical School was built in 1935 for the purpose of providing vocational training to boys from poor families. The cost of the construction was donated by community leaders including the Hon. Fung Ping Shan and Sir Robert Ho Tung. In 1935 the then Governor Sir William Peel officiated at the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by more than 90 celebrities including Sir Robert Hotung, Rev. Henry Bishop and Sir Man-kam Lo.

The management of the School was entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco (Society of St. Francis of Sales). Originating in Italy, the Society was founded in 1859 for Saint Francis of Sales, and its primary objective was to educate the youth. The first Principal of Aberdeen Industrial School was Fr. Vincent Bernardini, who had previously been the Superior of St. Louis School.

During the Second World War, the School was requisitioned by the British as a naval base. When the School was used as a naval base, Madame Chiang Kai-shek paid an incognito visit to the School in 1940. After the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, the Japanese used it as a seaplane base guarding the south of Hong Kong Island. In 1942, the Japanese allowed the reopening of Tailoring and Shoe-making departments and declared the School as a ”Free School”.

Aberdeen Technical School Main Building is one of the early examples of modern architecture in Hong Kong, being built in the International Modern style. It consists of several linear blocks of different design three storeys high staggered and arranged in an L-shaped plan onto an elongated site at the foot of a steep slope. There is a certain Art Deco influence in the design. Architectural features are long open verandahs, port hole windows, stylised columns or pilotis, and a square tower incorporating the main entrance. The long linear balconies are features of this architectural style. Internally the Art Deco influence can be seen in the design of the Main Hall and the Main Staircase. The Shanghai plaster and polished terrazzo finishes used externally and internally respectively are typical of the period.

The Annex Block is situated at the rear of the school. It is used as a dormitory for the Fathers who serve at the school. It is three storeys high with rendered and painted walls, a flat roof and regularly spaced metal windows. Architectural features are limited to moulded cills, a moulded string course and a projecting cornice at parapet level. Internally some original wooden glazed and panelled doors still remain as well as the original staircase. Although built in 1935 at the same time as the school, the architectural style is more Neo-Classical or Neo-Georgian in appearance.

Aberdeen Technical School was the first local technical school and therefore has a rarity value as well as a built heritage value. Some alterations have been made internally and new wings have been built at the back and at the end but in a similar modern style. Nevertheless the main building manages to retain much of its authenticity.

The social value of the School lies in the historical pioneering role it played in technical education in Hong Kong. The extra-curricular activities of drill, gymnastics, music, choral and theatrical training were regarded as an important part of the Salesian educational system. The School’s bands, choral and gymnastic groups have gained good reputations in local school competitions. In approaching to the Wong Chuk Hang area via Pokfulam Road, this school serves as a icon to the industrial area.

The school has group value with Holy Spirit Seminary in No. 6 Welfare Road, Wong Chuk Hang. The Wong Chuk Hang area, on the east side of Aberdeen Technical School, is mainly made up of old industrial buildings of simple modern design that juxtapose with the school in natural and physical fabrics.

As the School is likely to continue as such for the foreseeable future, the question of adaptive re-use does not really arise.

Source: Historic Building Appraisal, Antiquities Advisory Board

This article was first posted on 10th November 2024.