The Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir has a storied history — from being the city’s first circular underground water storage facility to being rescued from demolition more than a century after it was first built. It was then restored and opened to the public for guided free tours in October 2022. Recently, the Water Supplies Department announced that visitors can enter the site without making a reservation from August 1, 2024. Read on to get the lowdown on the historic significance of the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir, what you can see at the subterranean site, and how you can get there.
What is the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir?
This underground reservoir was built in 1904 in Woh Choi Shan and was at the time called the Bishop Hill Reservoir. It served the residents of Kowloon Tong, Sham Shui Po, and Tai Hang Tung as part of the Kowloon Waterworks Gravitation Scheme. It spans 1,600 square metres and has a storage capacity of 9,900 cubic metres. It ceased operations and was sealed from public view when the much larger Shek Kip Mei Fresh Water Service Reservoir came was commissioned in 1970. The Water Supplies Department began demolition work on the reservoir in 2020, but the public called for its preservation owing to its historical significance — most notably its Romanesque architecture. It has since been accorded Grade I historic status by the Antiquities Advisory Board.
What can I see there?
Visitors flock to the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir to see its semi-circular arches, as well as its granite piers, red brick arches, and concrete cove ceilings — defining features of Romanesque architecture and seen in Hong Kong. The century-old reservoir comprises 108 granite piers that support the massive concrete ceiling, while the red brick arches were built in Flemish bond, a pattern reminiscent of Roman civil engineering works. It was also the first circular underground service reservoir in Hong Kong, and was built to maximise the building area with the shortest perimeter.
Other noteworthy features of the reservoir are its ventilators, light openings, masonry portal, and balancing pipes. The entire system enabled water from the Kowloon Reservoir to enter from the top inlet pipe and leave through the bottom outlet pipe. It also collected and stored surplus water for future consumption. In fact, the reservoir’s gravitation mechanism allowed the installation of fire hydrants on the Kowloon peninsula for the first time in 1906.
Do I need to make a reservation to visit the reservoir?
Guided tours in Cantonese and English are available for individuals and groups, courtesy the Water Supplies Department. The tours are 90 minutes long, with group tours (minimum of 25 members) held from Monday to Friday, and individual tours (maximum of 4 members) on Saturdays and Sundays. However, visitors who don’t wish to be part of the guided tours can enter the reservoir without making a reservation starting August 1, 2024, from 9am-12pm and 2pm-5pm from Monday to Sunday. However, the site can accommodate 100 people at a time at most, so entry will be on a first-come-first-served basis.
How do I get to the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir?
Take the Kwun Tong MTR Line to Shek Kip Mei Station (Exit A1), walk down Woh Chai Street, then turn into Shek Kip Mei Street. Take the first left to reach Berwick Street near the footpath outside St Francis of Assisi’s English Primary School, which is also the meeting point for the guided tours to the reservoir, and therefore the entry to the site.
Header image credits: Hong Kong Tourism Board
