Godown – origins of the term

HF: We have several mentions of Godowns in Hong Kong. The last one being our article… Growth of the Kowloon Wharf and Gowdown Company.

I thought it would be on interest to explore the origin of the term and to post another article showing images of gowdowns in Hong Kong, both past and oresent.

Let’s start with this information published in the book Hobson-Jobson A glossary of Anglo-Indian colloquial words and phrases, Col. Henry Yule and A.C. Burnell, published by Routledge & Kegan Paul, First published 1886, reissued 1968, which my father gave to me many years ago.

GOWDOWN s. A warehouse for goods and stores; an outbuilding used for stores; a store-room. The word is in constant use in the Chinese ports as well as in India. The