'Chater' is a name that appears in various locations across Hong Kong, a lasting commemoration of the city's first genuine plutocrat. An Armenian born in Calcutta, India, in 1846, Sir Catchick Paul Chater came to Hong Kong in the 1860s, made his home and fortune here, lived in the colony for more than 60 years, died and was buried here in 1926.
Along with J.J. Keswick of Jardine, Matheson and Co, Chater co-founded Hongkong Land, which was responsible for the Praya scheme, the city's first large-scale land reclamation project. Chater Road, one of Central's principal thoroughfares, was named after him during his lifetime. Chater House, one of Hongkong Land's premier contemporary properties, also bears his name, along with Catchick Street in Kennedy Town, built on another Chater-inspired reclamation project.
Other Chater legacies lie scattered elsewhere in the city. A monumental bronze statue of Queen Victoria, now on a granite plinth at the entrance to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, was commissioned by Chater and presen- ted to the colony for the monarch's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. The original statue of Statue Square, the queen's likeness remained a centrepiece for Chater's grand urban vision for more than 40 years, until it was removed during the Japanese occupation.
For decades, Chater lived in an imposing mansion named Marble Hall, located at No 1 Conduit Road. Marble Hall, along with its extensive art collection, was bequeathed to the Hong Kong government on Chater's death. Some artworks 'lost' during the war years have recently resurfaced; one leading local family apparently helped itself to a few pieces at the time. The works form the nucleus of the Hong Kong Museum of Art's Early China Coast collection.
A devout Anglican - and a keen Freemason - Chater donated the land on which St Andrew's Church in Tsim Sha Tsui was built, along with the church buildings, hall and vicarage. A well-polished memorial brass inside commemorates this generous legacy to the community.
Chater lies buried in the Colonial Cemetery in Happy Valley. In stark contrast to his legacy elsewhere in the city, his poorly maintained tombstone is overgrown and covered in greenish slime. Perhaps the companies he founded could, between them, contribute a modest monthly sum for routine cleansing and maintenance. But, as contemporary Hong Kong's leading businessmen's sense of civic vision generally starts and ends at their own balance sheet, don't expect this to happen any time soon.