The Helena May main building

Garden Road facade of the Helena May main building.
The library

The Helena May main building (Chinese: 梅夫人婦女會主樓) is a declared monument of Hong Kong housing a membership club located at No. 35 Garden Road, in the Central area of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.[1] The present day building structure remains largely unchanged from its original building structure from 1914.

History

Constructed in 1914, the building was officially opened on 12 September 1916 by Lady May, daughter of Lieutenant General George Digby Barker, British Commanding Officer in China and Hong Kong from 1890 to 1895, as a respite for unaccompanied women arriving in Hong Kong.[2] In 1891, Helena Barker married Sir Francis Henry May, who would become Governor of Hong Kong in 1912. [3]

During World War II, the building was occupied by Axis Japanese forces and later requisitioned by the Royal Air Force at the end of the war until 1947.[2]

In 1985, The Helena May started accepting the women of all nationalities as residents.

References

  1. ↑ "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong - Hong Kong Island: The Helena May". Antiquities and Monuments Office, Government of the Hong Kong SAR. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  2. 1 2 "A Short History of the Helena May 1916 - now". The Helena May. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  3. ↑ Yanne, Andrew; Heller, Gillis (2009). Signs of a Colonial Era. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-962-209-944-9.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Helena May.

Coordinates: 22°16′39″N 114°09′30″E / 22.2775°N 114.1584°E / 22.2775; 114.1584

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