Marble Hall (Hong Kong)

Marble Hall (Chinese: 雲石堂) was the private residence of Sir Catchick Paul Chater, co-founder of Hongkong Land. It was situated at 1 Conduit Road, Hong Kong, and constructed 1901–1904 from imported European marble. Historians regard it as one of the finest ever examples of architecture in Hong Kong.

Marble Hall
雲石堂
Angled view of a large 2-storey building in Indian style architecture
Marble Hall in a 1908 book
Alternative namesAdmiralty House
General information
Address1 Conduit Road,
Town or cityHong Kong
Construction started1901
Demolished1953
OwnerCatchick Paul Chater
Technical details
Floor count2
Design and construction
Architecture firmLeigh & Orange
A 1935 Christmas postcard from Hong Kong, featuring Admiralty House.

History

Sir Paul chose a site above Victoria, 500 feet above sea level. Designed by Leigh & Orange,[1] a most sumptuous residence was constructed from imported marble quarried in Italy and Greece and finished in Belgium. It had extensive gardens, and a gatehouse. Historians regard 'Marble Hall' as among the finest constructions ever executed in Hong Kong.[2] Externally, it was constructed of stuccoed brick. Inside was a magnificent staircase made from Italian marble; it was finished in teak and mahogany.(p41)[3]

He has a lovely house full of wonderful china, and gave us an excellent meal with superlative wine. His collection of china is well known and, though much of it is said to be faked, the pieces are really beautiful, but the furnishing of the rest of the house is in atrocious taste

— Commander C.H. Drage[3]

Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. While Chater's wife was allowed to live in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935, some source mention that she may have left Hong Kong in 1927. Ownership passed to the government after her death.[4] It became "Admiralty House" – the official residence of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, and was commandeered by Japanese during their occupation.[2]

Post-war

Marble Hall accidentally burned down in 1946, and the government buildings occupied the site since its demolition in 1953. Government residences named 'Chater Hall Flats' are today located on the site of Marble Hall.[2]

All that remains today is the gatekeeper's lodge, which has been given a Grade 2 classification by the Antiquities Advisory Board.[5][6]

  • Marble staircase inside the property
    Marble staircase inside the property
  • Surviving Gatekeeper's Lodge
    Surviving Gatekeeper's Lodge

References
  1. "From British Colonization to Japanese Invasion" (PDF). HKIA Journal (45: 50 years of Hong Kong Institute of Architects): 45. 30 May 2006.
  2. "Marble Hall Gatekeeper's Lodge (1901– )". Gwulo. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  3. England, Vaudine (1998). The Quest of Noel Croucher: Hong Kong's Quiet Philanthropist. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789622094734.
  4. Wesley-Smith, Peter (1978). "Marble Hall" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 18: 202–204. ISSN 1991-7295.
  5. "New items and new categories assessed by Expert Panel" Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine LCSD, Hong Kong Government
  6. "Annex D: List of new items for grading assessment with assessment results (as at March 2017)" p. 1. Memorandum for the Antiquities Advisory Board: Assessment of Historic Buildings. Board Paper AAB/6/2017-18. Ref: LCSD/CS/AMO 22-3/0. March 2017. Antiquities Advisory Board. Retrieved 2017-06-06. Archived 24 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine
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