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Joyce Ng

Some of the oldest residences on The Peak are landmarks from the colonial era, while others reflect the life of early residents in the exclusive district.
The most prominent figure was probably John Joseph Francis,  who came to Hong Kong as a military officer in the 1860s and later became a barrister.
The Irishman, who built the villa at 23 Coombe Road, is remembered for investigating the problem of mui tsai - indentured Chinese girls working as unpaid maids - and chairing a committee  to cope with a plague outbreak in 1894.
The Antiquities Advisory Board  is considering giving a grade one status to the mansion, now owned by Hutchison Whampoa Property. The firm has plans to redevelop the site.
'J.J. Francis is a paramount figure that contributed immensely to the early Chinese community development, helping end the women slavery system and improving public hygiene,' said Ho Pui-yin,  a board member and a history professor at Chinese University.  
'In my opinion, he is even more important than Sir Robert Hotung.'  
Ho Tung Gardens, the only remaining property associated with Hotung, the late tycoon, has made recent headlines as his granddaughter Ho Min-kwan, now the owner of the 84-year-old estate on The Peak, objects to a government plan to declare it a monument, which would ban any redevelopment.
In a letter to the South China Morning Post, Ho criticised officials' land exchange proposal for ignoring her wish to keep and live in her family home. She also said the gardens were not her grandfather's residence.  
Another  house at 60 Mount Kellett Road  was built in 1936 for Leslie Benjamin Homes, the schoolmaster of the education department.
The Antiquities and Monuments Office said the house does not have a great social value but boasts an interesting  Art Moderne influence, reflected in its  white walls, curved corners and symmetry.
Two houses with high social value are found at 3 May Road  and 1 Chatham Path.  The May Road residence, with 14 garages, was built as chauffeurs' quarters in about 1930 after a road expansion scheme from Bowen Road to May Road.  
The antiquities office said the building, now owned by Kerry Properties,  demonstrates the historical development of The Peak and the arrival of the car before the second world war.  
The former Chatham English School at 1 Chatham Path was built as a residence but turned into a private school for Chinese and Eurasian children living on The Peak in 1952 until 1973. It is now owned by Sino Land  and is up for lease.



Taking stock of The Peak's treasures