I can't give you the exact location of this particular image, but I can tell you it was on the Kowloon Tong Estate. The reason I know this is because of the style of house you can see. These houses were a feature of every single road around the estate from the late 1920s and 1930s onwards when the estate was completed. Even Bruce's later house at 41 Cumberland Road was a remodelled version of this very type of house. Unfortunately very few exists today, so I very much doubt this one is still around.
I *think* the number on the wall outside says #31. Thirty something anyway? If I'm correct then this would mean it could only be Cumberland Road because it's the only road on the estate that goes beyond the twenties in house numbers. I won't speculate anymore because I could easily be wrong on this one, but I will say that the current #35 is an original house and has very similar, if not matching, design in the exterior stucco, which is another plus point for it being in this area. If anyone has better eyesight than me, please feel free to comment as it would be nice to narrow this one down.
5 comments:
In one of the documentaries about Lee, the Southern Gentleman, missionary doctor that helped save him on May 10 commented that he lived 50 yards from 41 Cumberland Road back in '73. He mentioned that many of the homes were in disrepair and the deeds often unclear, so the mission was able to acquire one cheaply.
Are they walking into the house in the picture or the house next to it? There is a short wall behind the gate pillar with the illegible street number. Is that wall separating this house from its neighbour's driveway or is the wall dividing the pictured house's front garden from its own driveway?
Hi Rodney, I think the house in the image is next door to the gate they go to. But this is the only exterior footage of this area, the film then cuts to a studio set. Phil
If the house is in the low 30s, it would put it near the loop of Essex Crescent, where it meets Cumberland Road. Looking at old maps, I don't think it would have been No. 31 Cumberland because that house was set well back from the road.
It could be No. 35, but there is a square box structure over the gate of No. 37, which should just about have been visible from where Cheung Wood-Yau and Bruce Lee were walking in the first screen capture. However, on the 1949 map closest to the year of the film, that structure did not exist. It can be seen clearly in a 1963.2 aerial survey.
Saw another old goodie from the golden era of TVB filmed in the area. I took a look at some old aerials and found the TV house, but still cannot pin down this exact location. The street number here is too blurred, so I'll ignore it completely. If this house is similar, if not identical to No. 35, am I correct to assume it should have a pitched roof?
Looking at this again, the trees and shrubbery are so tall and dense that it almost seems the lot next to the house that walked past is empty or more likely it was set well back from the gate.
Hi Rodney, yes I believe this would have had a pitched roof. I think it's safe to say the majority of the old housing stock there had similar pitched roofing. Phil
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