Bishop Hill cistern in Romanesque styleJust listed as a grade one historical building, the Romanesque Bishop Hill cistern in Shek Kip Mei has sparked a lot of interest but why was such a style adopted? Indeed, there is no clear definition of a Romanesque architecture style apart from the fact that it is characterized by the semi-circular arches, which had allowed the Romans to build bigger buildings and infrastructure with their wider span. Romanesque architecture mainly referred to those built between the 6th and the 11th century as the Gothic style, with the pointed arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses, became dominant from the 12th century. This may explain why this cistern, built as part of the Kowloon Waterworks Gravitation Scheme in 1902 in such a style. This architecture reminds one of the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul built in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire.

Source: The Standard March 12, 2021 11:15 UTC