Getting into nature

The property has a very homely feel and I just loved looking out onto the hills. I also left the curtains open at night, so I could wake up to the view. At night, the landscape changed and you could see the lights of the city in the distance.

The staff are lovely, and they’re really good at making sure you have the right information. I wanted to do a hike so they printed off a map for me, and off I went.

There are loads of trails in the vicinity of Parkview: to the right is the Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail; to the left, Stage 2 of the Wilson Trail, leading to Jardine’s Lookout and Mount Butler; and just across the road are Violet Hill and The Twins. I’m not sure I took the right path because it was a lot more challenging than I thought. The views were breathtaking – as was the climb!

In the end, I wimped out halfway along and turned down to end the walk at Repulse Bay Beach instead of going all the way to Stanley. Next time... In any case, you can take the bus to Stanley Market from there, or just head back “home” for a nice long bath, as I did.

In all, I would love to spend a lot longer at Parkview. There are so many things to like about it as an accommodation option, plus it’s great to have the cooler weather for hiking – compared to Singapore anyway!

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Scotland but ran off to Australia as a teenager. I finished school and was an undergraduate there before completing graduate work at Oxford.

When and why did you come to Hong Kong?

Different parts of my family have been in Hong Kong for a long time, so I used to visit once a year or so if I was stopping over between London and Melbourne. I suppose the idea of settling here occurred to me as a teenager because it was halfway between the two. I certainly had no idea what I would do here.

I arrived in Hong Kong in 2013 after completing my Masters at Oxford. The cliché is to say you were planning to be here for two years. I probably only planned to be in Hong Kong for six months, but then I was headhunted for a job and one thing led to another.

For readers who may not be familiar with BartyED, tell us about your work here.

BartyED is a boutique educational and private tutoring consultancy. We work with students of all ages who wish to excel academically, supporting all major curricula (for example, IB, A level and AP) as well as providing academic interventions for young people with dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADD/ADHD.

My work life is very varied and never dull. My team works with a lot of teenagers who come to us with predetermined expectations about their own academic performance, which we challenge through mentoring. Work is always busy; at present, I’m not taking on new students and already have a waiting list for August 2021!

Where is your home in Hong Kong?

I’ve lived in and around Prince Edward for the past seven years. My previous flat was in an old tong lau very close to the MTR. My current home is between Prince Edward Road West and Boundary Street, close to St Teresa’s Church.

How long have you lived there?

With enhanced social distancing and more working from home this year, I decided I needed a break from my old place. I’d also been living in the middle of the protest zone around Prince Edward station during the 2019 social unrest, which presented its own set of challenges. I made the jump to the new place in May of this year and couldn’t be happier.

Tell us a bit about the location; what’s notable about it?

The area is steeped in local history being on the edge of Kowloon Tong, which wasn’t much developed until the 1920s. The first generation of houses in this area were large mansions that were largely displaced by mid-rises in the 1960s and 70s, and some of those again in the 2000s.

St Teresa’s Church was a local landmark when it was completed in 1932, seemingly having been partly paid for by none other than Il Duce himself. (The embossed name of the Italian dictator has fortunately been removed from the commemorative plaque inside!) That was just five years before my father was born. I suppose that always makes one feel closer to the events of the past.

What type of home is it?

It’s a 1950s colonial-style walk-up – around 1,700 square feet. The building is in family ownership and so had retained many lovely original features including 60-year-old year old parquet flooring and delightful modernist picture rails. My partner is currently based in Sydney and can’t travel because of COVID-19; I’m really extraordinarily fortunate to have so much space for one person.

We hear it has an interesting history; can you give us some insight into this?

Like many buildings of its time, it was constructed to house an extended family, with each floor accommodating a different set of relatives. Indeed, the owners still live in the building. Because it was built as a family home, it is very sturdily constructed. Having been built pre air-conditioning, it also has excellent circulation.

I knew the area before moving in and had wondered how a such a unique building of its age could have survived the cycle of redevelopment; it’s the last building in the neighbourhood of its vintage. I went to the initial viewing partly out of curiosity as I wanted to see what such a wonderful old place was like inside.

What are some of its notable features?

Probably the first thing I noticed (and fell in love with) were the transom windows above all the doors. These are very old-fashioned in Hong Kong nowadays. When the (retrofitted but nonetheless antediluvian) air-conditioning in the master bedroom failed during July they were a godsend! Who would have thought one could sleep comfortably in Hong Kong in July without air-conditioning?