Introduction Tymon Mellor: One hundred years ago this year, according to records, mining for Wolframite (or Wolfram as it used to be called), commenced at Needle Hill, possibly one of the oldest and most extensive industrial historical sites in Hong Kong. The mine workings now lie abandoned and overgrown on the hillsides above the Lower Shing Mun Reservoir. If you […]
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Tymon Mellor: Those who walk the Maclehose or Wilson Trails, or who enjoy walking in the country parks will be familiar with Lead Mine Pass; the high pass linking Kowloon with the New Territories. But why is it called Lead Mine Pass, where is the mine it is named after? Ever since the New Territories has been part of Hong […]
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Hugh Farmer: It is worth looking at the Hong Kong Naturalist – “a quarterly illustrated journal principally for Hong Kong and South China” which was published from Jan 1930 until Feb 1941. The journal contain articles on a variety of subjects of interest to us including, tea production, oysters, Kowloon waterworks, agriculture in the New Territory [sic] and a couple of mountains […]
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HF: This article is the result of several people’s research into Ma On Shan Iron Mine. If you can provide further information about this or any other mine, quarry or dredging activity please email me at: indhhk at gmail dot com Information provided by Hugh Farmer, IDJ, Tymon Mellor and Elizabeth Ride Ma On Shan Mine operated for 70 years […]
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York Lo: From Metals Trading to Real Estate: the Lau Family of Pak Hing Loong (百興隆) The Lau family has been a major player in the metals trading business in Hong Kong for over seven decades through Pak Hing Loong Ltd which was formed in the 1940s and incorporated in 1957 and like many others augmented their fortunes as pioneers […]
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Hugh Farmer and “Tide Swell”: New information in red. These are introductory notes about Jan Hendrik Marsman, b1892 Netherlands, d1956 [exact dates needed], known as Hank to his friends. He started his working life as an engineer. He developed extensive business interests in the Philippines. As elaborated on below he became involved through his company Marsman Hong Kong China Ltd, in […]
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Tymon Mellor has sent this article which was first published in Economic Geology, 1st November 1961. The article has several photos of the mine, processes and workers. More can be found in the linked article. Not all of them have titles. Source: Needle Hill Mine -Mineralogy and Genesis of Wolframite Deposits 1964 SG Davis Economic Geology, 1st November 1961, Vol 56 No.7 […]
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IDJ has sent an article about Stone Cutters (or Breakers) and their working lives in Hong Kong… The article was originally published in 1952 by the Building Contractor’s Association which subsequently became the Hong Kong Construction Association which exists today. The images shown here have also been supplied by IDJ but are not in the 1952 article. They are all located […]
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IDJ has sent this article published in June 1948. HF: I have retyped it to increase its legibility and to aid site searches. Thanks to SCT for proofreading the retyped version. Government is devoting more attention to mining in the Colony and an attempt is being made to ascertain the potential resources of our mines. This statement was made by […]
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The article Needle Hill Tungsten Mine, published in Newsletter 7, states that the deposits were discovered by G.B. Gifford Hull in 1935 while working on the construction of the Jubilee Reservoir (now Shing Mun). Dan Waters would like to add, “in 1956 Resident Engineer Gordon Gifford Hull kindly invited us lecturers at the old Technical College (now ugraded to Poly […]
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