Tai Po Lookout

Tai Po Lookout

Tai Po Lookout (Tai Po Lookout) is situated at 11 Lok Wong Lane, Tai Po Kau, New Territories, Hong Kong. Constructed around the early 1900s, it is now recognized as a Grade I historic building by the Antiquities and Monuments Office. This single-story flat-roofed colonial building includes arched colonnaded verandas designed to suit Hong Kong’s humid weather. The most distinctive feature is its cylindrical watchtower, whose exterior walls have multiple rectangular openings providing views over the Tai Po area and Tai Po Harbour. The tower also functioned as a water tank, storing rainwater collected from mountain streams for drinking purposes.

Situated on a small hill in Tai Po Kau, Tai Po Lookout offers scenic views of Tolo Harbour. In 1904, British civil engineer Lawrence Gibbs, who worked for the Hong Kong Public Works Department, was captivated by the beautiful landscape and purchased the land for his residence, personally designing and overseeing the construction of the house. In 1929, the property was sold to Herbert Austin Rogers. By 1933, it was acquired by John Alexander Fraser, then Assistant Attorney General. During the Japanese occupation, Fraser was imprisoned by the Japanese and died in Stanley Internment Camp. Meanwhile, the building was taken over by the Japanese military and used as an interrogation facility. In 1947, the government bought the property and converted it into official residences for civil servants. In 1996, it was leased to the AIDS Compassionate Care Association as a hospice for terminally ill AIDS patients. After 2000, it was rented out by the Government Property Agency for residential use.

Transportation Guide

Address: 11 Lok Wong Lane, Tai Po Kau, Hong Kong

How to get there: Take KMB bus routes 72A, 72, 73A, 74A, 872, or New Territories Mini Bus route 28K to Tai Po Kau Park, then walk to the site.