After the Happy Valley walk, it dawned on me that there is actually a lot to see on Blue Pool Road itself and almost worth a whole walk by itself. If you start in Happy Valley, it's pretty much all uphill, so although only around 2km from the bottom in Happy Valley to the top, close to Wong Nei Chung Gap, it will take around 30 minutes. Of course if you're on the other end, around Bowen Road or Tai Hang Road, it's almost all downhill and will be a little easier and faster to complete.

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Blue Pool Road was named after a Blue Pool which was an original natural feature at the base of Wong Nei Chung Valley before the area was developed. The original village (pre-1841) used to farm the flat ground where the racecourse is today. Post-1841 and after some teething problems with malaria caused by the disruption of the rice paddies, the British began to develop the area and once they drained the rice paddies, the village started to form. In the Happy Valley walk we saw some of the few older buildings left and you can imagine the village made of such, mainly residential, houses.

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So, from  Happy Valley we walk up the road and the first historical building of note is the Temple complex on the left hand side - a Tam Tung Temple from 1901 and a smaller Tin Hau Temple from the same time. Temples in Hong Kong are often older than this - many pre-date the arrival of the British - but this original one was demolished for development.

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A little further along we can see a small metal door built into the hillside. We walk past such doors all the time in HK - they are the entrances to a network of Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Tunnels. They were constructed in the run-up to the eventual Battle of Hong Kong as shelter from Japanese bombings. While they were little used during the Battle of Hong Kong, the Japanese actually used them when they themselves were being bombed by the Americans during their subsequent occupation of HK. All ARP tunnels are closed off and locked now, though you may get lucky one day and find one left open.

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Next we will see the two old Jockey Club buildings at numbers 58 and 60. We discussed these in the Happy Valley walk, but I'll copy and paste just in case you don't want to disrupt the flow. These are the only buildings remaining of the old Jockey Club Quarters and on the wall you can see (yet another) original old street sign dating back to the 1950s. After WWII, Horse Racing in HK was actually booming and the Club took on a lot more staff so they built these residential quarters for the 'Mafoos' - a Chinese word for those who look after horses. Number 58 is the last of the residential quarters and number 60 was built as a school for the children of the Mafoos. 

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Keep going up the road and on the left hand side we will soon see a series of old garages. I love these - a real hive of activity if you pass by during the day - although I don't have too much info on their history. I guess they were built to serve the original houses above them but now most seem to be rented out and operate as car mechanics. The original buildings above were likely houses as opposed to flats, so each would only need one parking space and (in HK), it goes without saying that the replacement flats would come with designated parking areas. Anyhow, the last buildings above the flats, numbers 51 and 53 are the oldest of the set, apparently built in the 1950s. Not original, but certainly older than the rest.

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As we continue up the road, we will soon come to a junction and will continue up the steepest part. First though, we can pause and look over at the residential houses opposite at number 92 - hard to see too much but the buildings date from 1950. Keep going up and at the steepest part, just as you need a break, you can pause and look over the road at numbers 118 and 120. These building are dated to around 1945, and are said to be the former home of Sir Shiu-kin Tang, the founder of Kowloon Motor Bus company. He was involved in an incident during the Battle of Hong Kong, where two atrocities took place in Blue Pool Road. One was said to have taken place here in numbers 118, and another at numbers 42b and 44b although those houses have long since been demolished. It's hard to be sure of the exact locations as the buildings have changed a lot since that time. Also at the steepest part you can pause at Blue Pool Lodge on the left hand side. While not too spectacular, these buildings date from 1958 but feature an old street sign.

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Keep going up and on the left we will seen see Marymount Secondary School, dating back to 1957, although the school itself was founded in 1927. Whilst not too old in colonial-HK terms, it's a lovely looking building anyhow. You're on that last bit of steep road now and will soon reach the junction of Tai Hang Road, however that's not the end of Blue Pool Road. Turn left and on the right you will soon see the continuation of Blue Pool Road. Not too much to see here but you can see the Japanese and French International Schools which date back to 1982 - soon after the valley was filled to make way for the Hong Kong Cricket Club which took over its current premises in 1975. As stated previously, the old road used to continue all the way to Wong Nei Chung Gap and the photo below (excuse the French) shows the Gap at the time of the Battle of Hong Kong. 

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If you're still on Blue Pool Road, head up the steps next to the French School and a short walk to Wong Nei Chung Gap will open up plenty of options to take the bus home. You may also pause to see some remnants of the Battle of Hong Kong - the HQ of the West Brigade as well as the memorial to the St John's Ambulance team which was massacred during the battle. 

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