Peak Church
Encyclopedia
The Mt. Gough Peak Protestant Church, also called the Peak Church (or Peak Chapel) was a Protestant chapel of ease
in the Peak District of Hong Kong
Island and held its first service in June 1883. It was "... an unpretending structure in the similitude of a jelly mould ..." which explains its affectionate nickname The Jelly Mould. Photo of the Peak Church
Sunday Services were in the late afternoon (4:30 or 5:30 pm). The first three Sundays was a Church of England service, with a Presbyterian service on the fourth. 50 years later - in the 1930s, the only regular Anglican service was 7:30 on Thursday, but the church was regularly used by the Scandinavian Mission to Seamen.
The last service was held on Christmas Day, 1941 - the day Hong Kong was surrendered to the Japanese. The sermon was given by Rev. Charles Higgns. His wife, Mary Atkinson Tyng Higgins, may have been the woman who took the cross from the Peak Church to Stanley Internment camp where it was used during services in camp during the war. The cross is still in use at St. Stephen's Chapel in Stanley.
Peak Church was destroyed by a shell during World War II and not rebuilt. Its lease expired in 1958 and, lacking church endowments, parish and congregation, it was decided to return the land to the Government, give the cross to St. Stephen's College
and the font to be used in another church. The location, Rural Building Lot 23, is now a public playground near the Peak Fire Station on Peak Road opposite Bluff Path (百祿徑 in Chinese). The records of the Peak Church are held by the Hong Kong Public Records Office.
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
in the Peak District of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Island and held its first service in June 1883. It was "... an unpretending structure in the similitude of a jelly mould ..." which explains its affectionate nickname The Jelly Mould. Photo of the Peak Church
Sunday Services were in the late afternoon (4:30 or 5:30 pm). The first three Sundays was a Church of England service, with a Presbyterian service on the fourth. 50 years later - in the 1930s, the only regular Anglican service was 7:30 on Thursday, but the church was regularly used by the Scandinavian Mission to Seamen.
The last service was held on Christmas Day, 1941 - the day Hong Kong was surrendered to the Japanese. The sermon was given by Rev. Charles Higgns. His wife, Mary Atkinson Tyng Higgins, may have been the woman who took the cross from the Peak Church to Stanley Internment camp where it was used during services in camp during the war. The cross is still in use at St. Stephen's Chapel in Stanley.
Peak Church was destroyed by a shell during World War II and not rebuilt. Its lease expired in 1958 and, lacking church endowments, parish and congregation, it was decided to return the land to the Government, give the cross to St. Stephen's College
St. Stephen's College, Hong Kong
St. Stephen's College is a Christian DSS coeducational secondary school located in Stanley, Hong Kong. With an area of about 150,000 sq. ft., the College is the largest secondary school in Hong Kong, and is also one of the very few boarding schools in the territory, many buildings in the campus...
and the font to be used in another church. The location, Rural Building Lot 23, is now a public playground near the Peak Fire Station on Peak Road opposite Bluff Path (百祿徑 in Chinese). The records of the Peak Church are held by the Hong Kong Public Records Office.