Victoria Peak Garden is a Chinese style garden, managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Leisure and Cultural Services Department

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department , often abbreviated as LCSD, is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Home Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs. It provides leisure and cultural activities for the people of Hong Kong, which was also one of...

. It was once an alternate home for the Governor of Hong Kong

Governor of Hong Kong

The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...

. The residence, Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge was the former summer residence of the Governor of Hong Kong on Victoria Peak on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The second building was a two storey Renaissance style home and was demolished in 1946...

, has been demolished, but the park remains as an attraction at the Peak.

It is a vantage point which captures an over 300m high angle view of Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

 and the night scene of Hong Kong. The original landscape remains in the garden. Unlike most of the public parks in Hong Kong, dogs and other pet animals are allowed in the garden.

Future development

The Hong Kong government announced on 25 September 2005 that the site will be redeveloped along with the rest of the Peak area.

The ample open space, vast amount of grassy lawn and stream course at the site will be preserved. To bring out the heritage elements, the garden will be enhanced with Victorian style features including gazebos, benches, sun-dials and colourful flowers. Artifacts from the Victorian era, such as stone pillars and carvings, will be displayed to enrich the visitors' experience.

The new pavilion will comprise four pergola

Pergola

A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...

s at the corners and Victorian colonnade

Colonnade

In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....

s to link up the pergolas. This will offer ample shade and a resting place for the public. The existing kiosk and toilet will also be reconstructed to boost the garden's Victorian ambience.

The $142.6 million tourist district improvement project, scheduled to finish around the end of 2007, will help create three new tourism nodes - Mount Austin Playground, Gate Lodge

Gate Lodge

Gate Lodge is a small house located at Mount Austin Road on Victoria Peak. Located on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, it was built between 1900 and 1902. Gate Lodge is in Renaissance style....

and Peak Garden, on the Peak.

This will help relieve over-crowdedness at the commercial core area, lengthen visitors' stay and bring potential benefits to the city's economy, with the projected number of visitors to the prime tourist spot going up from 4.5 million last year to 5 million in 2007.

External links

• The Film Services Office