Getting from the bottom to the top is always something to celebrate. Doing so with only a few interruptions for 100 years even more so. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This is the type of British Empire stamp, that was so much more common in the 1950s and 60s than the 80s. An areas status as a colony is winding down and the stamp issues begin to display what the British would view as their achievements in the area. What is missing though is Queen Elizabeth II smiling down on the achievement. This is strange since her profile in the corner was still a common feature of the Hong Kong stamp issues. Probably the people involved with this stamp were not knowledgeable of the rich postal history they were treading into, and a further issue may have been the tram’s private ownership and the need to function as advertising for it. The modern world will always intrude.
Todays stamp is issue A106, a HK $1.70 stamp issued by the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong on August 4th, 1988. It was part of a 4 stamp issue in various denominations celebrating 100 years of the Peak Tramway. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.25 used.
In the late 19th century, there was an outbreak of the Bubonic Plague in southern China including the Chinese residents of Hong Kong. The British in Hong Kong were very concerned with catching it and this spurred development at the top of Victoria Peak, the highest point in the colony. There they hoped to find fresher water and Chinese were not allowed to reside there. A Scottish railwayman Alexander Findley-Smith proposed a private tram to ease climbing the hill. A steam powered tram was constructed between 1885-1888. It terminated near the Peak on property adjacent to Finley-Smith’s house that he redeveloped into a hotel and then sold for a huge profit after the tram opened.
Initially the tram operated in three classes. First Class was reserved for colonial British officials including the front two seats for His Excellency the Governor. If he wasn’t on board 1 minute before departure it was possible to ride in his seat. Second Class was reserved for British soldiers and police. 3rd Class was everyone else and animals. The class requirements ended in 1949. The tram was damaged and did not operate during the World War II Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
In the 1950s the tram was electrified and in 1989 computerized. The tram is currently owned by the Peninsula Hotel and the Peak station is now within a shopping complex known as the Peak. Typical of an ex colony to edit out Queen Victoria. The tram serves 17,000 travelers a day.
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Mr. Findley-Smith, for his inspiration and the ability to follow through. A skill we all seem to be losing in modern construction. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.