Built around 1906, this distinctive red brick structure once hosted religious services, was used as an educational centre, and also found purpose as a storage space. The HKURBEX ventured to the abandoned cottage for a look around.
“[It] is located near one of the oldest Protestant churches in Hong Kong, a place Christians have been meeting at for over 100 years,” HKURBEX wrote. “When it was first built, the area it is in was still rural, and the church and these exterior buildings served as a boundary marker of the extent of occupied development for the city.”
The abandoned cottage’s extensive decay defies its Grade II listed heritage status. Buildings with the historical label are defined as having “special merit” for which “efforts should be made to selectively preserve” – but no such efforts are apparent.
The cottage features red brick with granite detailing, which stands out alongside the arched doorways and a traditional tiled roof.
There are also sealed tunnels in the cliff behind the building, which once served as air-raid shelters.
“The neglect this heritage building has suffered becomes even more shocking given that the rest of the ensemble of buildings on the site all underwent a massive renovation recently,” HKURBEX wrote.
“The million dollar refurb also unsurprisingly caused controversy a few years ago when they applied to construct a subterranean auditorium within the historic compound, one of the first to ever do so in Hong Kong.”
Disclaimer: Trespassing is against the law and we do not encourage others to do so.
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