The Peak Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Peak Hotel was a hotel at upper terminus of the Peak Tram
Peak Tram
The Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of...

 in 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...

. It started as a bar and restaurant, and a hotel with twenty bedrooms for summer visitors opening about the same time as the Peak Tram, in 1888. (see image)

About 13 years earlier, in 1875, N.J. Ede had build a house named Dunheved on the property. In 1881, Alexander Findlay Smith, a Scottish former railway man, had petitioned for the right to introduce a funicular railway to Hong Kong. The Peak Tram
Peak Tram
The Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of...

 was built and began operations in 1888. About the same time, Findlay Smith bought Dunheved from Ede, and opened it as the Peak Hotel. (Ede and his family moved next door.) After the Peak Tram opened, Findlay Smith quickly put the Peak Hotel on the market.

It was sold, and completely rebuilt into an imposing three story building, reopening in 1890.(see image) It boasted of commodious and well-appointed accommodation, and the Hotel was deservedly popular. Later, another story was added to make it four stories, and then a two story annex with views down to Pok Fu Lam
Pok Fu Lam
Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District.Pok Fu Lam is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellet, around Telegraph Bay....

 was built. A further addition doubled the size of the annex and added a third story. The hotel commanded a magnificent view of the city and the harbour in one direction, and of Pok Fu Lam facing Lamma Island
Lamma Island
Lamma Island , also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu , is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.-Name:...

 in the other. (see photo)

In 1922 it was bought by the owners of the rival Hong Kong Hotel
Hong Kong Hotel
The Hongkong Hotel was Hong Kong's first luxury hotel, modelled after sumptuous London hotels. It was opened on Queen's Road and Pedder Street in 1868., and expanded onto the Victoria Harbour waterfront of Victoria City in 1893.-The hotel:...

. for Hong Kong Dollar
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

s 600,000. The hotel's poor construction led to further deterioration. It closed in 1936 and in 1938 its fate was finally sealed by a fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

.
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