The Helena May main building is a declared monument of Hong Kong, home to the Helena May, a private member club located at No. 35 Garden Road, in Central of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.[1] The present-day building structure remains largely unchanged from its 1914 design.
| The Helena May main building | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 梅夫人婦女會主樓 | ||||||||
| Cantonese Yale | Mùih fū yàhn fúh néuih wúih jyú làuh | ||||||||
| |||||||||
History
editConstructed 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 male members.
Past chairs after World War II
edit- 19 December 1946 - 9 April 1947 Josephine, Lady Young
- 9 April 1947 - 12 October 1949 Mable M. Annett
- 12 October 1949 - 9 May 1951 Mary A. Campbell
- 9 May 1951 - 10 October 1951 Janet Adamson
- 10 October 1951 - 22 October 1953 E. Frida Dunlop
- 22 October 1953 - 21 October 1954 Gwendolyn Faber
- 21 October 1954 - 20 October 1955 Ivy Sykes
References
edit- ^ "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong - Hong Kong Island: The Helena May". Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong Government. 8 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
- ^ a b "A Short History of the Helena May 1916 - now". The Helena May. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Yanne, Andrew; Heller, Gillis (2009). Signs of a Colonial Era. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-962-209-944-9.
Further reading
editExternal links
edit
- Official website of Helena May
- Antiquities and Monuments Office. Declared Monuments in Hong Kong. The Exterior of the Main Building, the Helena May