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Tai Po Lookout
Historical building in Hong Kong / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tai Po Lookout is a historical residential building situated at No. 11, Lookout Link, Tai Po Kau, Tai Po District, in the New Territories of Hong Kong.
Tai Po Lookout | |
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大埔瞭望台 | |
![]() Tai Po Lookout | |
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General information | |
Location | Tai Po Kau, Tai Po District, New Territories |
Address | 11 Lookout Link |
Country | Hong Kong |
Completed | early 1900s |
Owner | Hong Kong Government |
Landlord | Government Property Agency |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Lawrence Gibbs |
Designations | |
Reference no. | 18 December 2009; 14 years ago (2009-12-18) |
Tai Po Lookout | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 大埔瞭望檯 | ||||||||
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Tai Po Lookout was built in the early twentieth century by Lawrence Gibbs, a British engineer, as his residence. The Lookout had many different owners throughout the years, and was circulated around very frequently. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Lookout was used as a torture chamber by the Japanese.[1] After World War II, the land became government property. It was used by government officials such as the Tai Po District Officers and the Head of Police Secret Service as their private residences.[1] In 1996, the government leased the Lookout to the Society for AIDS Care (SAC). The SAC launched the Lookout Project to provide hospice care for AIDS patients. The service was first operated in June 1997 and officially closed on the first of June 2000[2] due to drying up of funds.[3] Since then, the Lookout has been leased by the Government Property Agency to private owners and reverted to its original residential purpose.[4]
The Lookout is a colonial-style building with a watch tower. Standing on top of a small hill, it overlooks Tai Po District and Tolo Harbour. In 1985, the building was accorded as a Grade II Historic Building by the Antiquities Advisory Board (古物諮詢委員). Recently, it is proposed that the status of the Lookout to be regarded as Grade I.[4]