Victoria Peak Garden, Victorian urban park near Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.
Victoria Peak Garden is a Victorian-style garden near the summit of Victoria Peak, on Mount Austin Road. Its centrepiece is a geometric parterre on a grass lawn, with beds edged by low dark stone walls and divided by narrow paths; clipped hedging outlines smaller shapes filled with purple-leafed and green plants. An octagonal pavilion with a pale stone base, slender posts and a pointed dark roof stands at the centre, and a gap between two low stone piers forms the entrance, with steps leading into the beds.
Governor Richard MacDonnell bought a disused sanatorium plot on the Peak in 1867 and converted it into Mountain Lodge, a summer retreat, renovated in 1892 and 1902. Unused from the 1930s because of its poor access, it was damaged in the fighting of 1941 and demolished in 1946; the site became Victoria Peak Garden, opened on 5 October 1965. The guardhouse survives as a declared monument.
Local residents use this place on weekends to practice tai chi, walk their pets, and spend time outdoors together. The pathways and open spaces serve as a social gathering spot for people looking to enjoy their free time in this green setting.
Public transport reaches only the area around the Peak Tower; from there visitors must walk, take a taxi or drive to the garden at the end of Mount Austin Road. The garden has toilets including a disabled-accessible one, and a car park. A path behind the kiosk leads to a viewing platform facing the Rambler Channel and the Peak radio station.
In 2006, excavation uncovered part of the former Mountain Lodge foundations, including a 1 m by 3.5 m patterned floor tile made by Minton Hollins. Eight boundary stones erected in 1910 were also found. The guardhouse of the old lodge survives and was declared a monument in 1995.
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