Cattle Depot Artist Village

Cattle Depot Artist Village (牛棚藝術村) is located on 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, Ma Tau Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The site was originally used as a slaughterhouse from 1908 to 1999. It was renovated and developed into a village for artists in 2001. It is now home to around 20 art groups.

The slaughterhouse was originally located in Hung Hom, occupying 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) which could hold 120 head of cattle, 200 lambs and 400 pigs. It was moved to Ma Tau Kok in To Kwa Wan due to the construction of Kowloon-Canton Railway. The former Ma Tau Kok Quarantine Depot (馬頭角牛畜檢疫站,又名馬頭角牛房) was built in 1908. It was owned by the government and was used as a cattle quarantine and slaughter centre for more than 90 years. Central planning and development occurred throughout the years and people started to reside at Ma Tau Kok. In 1999, the old Ma Tau Kok Cattle Depot was finally closed down due to expressed concerns by the neighbouring residents about hygiene problems deriving from a slaughterhouse in the urban area. It was replaced by a new slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui.

Built in 1907-08, elements of Western architecture are found. The site was made up of 5 blocks of distinctive red-brick buildings, offering a total space of 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft). It has pointed roof with tiles. It is the only remaining cattle depot in Hong Kong built before World War I. Listed as a Grade III historical site in 1994, it was upgraded to Grade II in 2009.

The old cattle depot was renovated and developed into the present village in 2001 for an artist community originally occupying the former Government Supplies Department Headquarters at Oil Street, North Point. They were temporarily relocated to the Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir and the site of the former airport at Kai Tak as well as assorted factory buildings during the works.

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