Two of Hollywood's greatest heartthrobs may have walked the rooms and grounds of the imposing Chinese-style mansion at 45 Stubbs Road, Mid-Levels, but that is not why it holds fond memories for Wynne Ward.
It is because the house, with its panoramic views over Victoria Harbour, is the handiwork of her father, A.R Fenton-Raven, a Yorkshireman, who came to Hong Kong as a civilian attached to the British Army in 1903 and later returned to England to qualify as an architect, building some of the city's memorable early buildings.
The house, which has only had two owners in 68 years and which is now up for sale by tender, was a major backdrop for films Soldier of Fortune (1955), starring Clark Gable, and Love is a Many- Splendored Thing (1955) with William Holden.
Mrs Ward, who lives in Stanley, recalls the days during construction of the mansion, with its Chinese roof, and her father's dramatic experience in the city, including being a prisoner of war under the Japanese.
'I was in England when Soldier of Fortune was shot in the house, but a close friend played an extra in a big dinner party scene,' said Mrs Ward, who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 80 years and believes she may be the oldest surviving person of English descent born in the city.
Despite missing the chance of a part in the famous film, Mrs Ward spent some of her youth in the house. 'It is a nice house which all the tourists stop and look at,' Mrs Ward said.