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Company Side
When the Perim Coal Company set up its coaling station
in 1883 it did so on the western half of the island. It
soon became to be referred to as ‘Company Side’, to
differentiate it from ‘Government Side’ on the eastern
half. This article is a brief tour of Company Side,
concentrating on the main landmarks on the peninsula and
spit running southeast from below the Lloyds Signal
Station.
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Apart from the interest of the shipping in the
harbour, the photograph on the first postcard,
probably taken around 1910, includes several of
the Perim landmarks on Company Side. The most
obvious is the tennis court, in an area
sufficient for at least another court, which
there may have been at some stage. |
The tennis court area is plainly visible today
on Google Earth. Other landmarks are the water
condensing plant, the coal sheds and, in the
distance on Pirie Point, Point House. The
nearest of the ships is probably the Perim Coal
Company’s maid-of-all-work (salvage ship and
despatch vessel being its main tasks), the
Sheikh Berkhud. |
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The next photograph, from around 1928 (plus or
minus about 5 years), is from a postcard
entitled ‘Engineering Works Perim’. In the
foreground are the sheds and hard for repairing
and maintaining the lighters, with behind them
the coal sheds.
Note the crane to the left of the condenser shed
– in 1964 this was estimated to have a lifting
capacity of 10 tons. |
On the right edge of the photograph in the
foreground is the small whitewashed mosque for
the coolies and beyond that the hotel (the
furthest away of the two 2-storey buildings). Of
perhaps the greatest interest are the oil tanks
near the end of the spit, this side and to the
right of Point House. Where they were located
can be seen on the map of 1958 and also on
Google Earth. They were probably dismantled soon
after the closure of the coal company in 1936.
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Now compare the 1928 photograph with one taken not later
than 1901. All the landmarks are in evidence (less the
oil tanks, which were not built until around 1921/22) –
from left to right: the condenser; Point House; the
engineering works; the coal sheds; the mosque; and, on
the extreme right the hotel.
The next two photographs are not quite a panoramic view
of the desolation of Company Side as it looked in 1964.
When the Perim Coal Company went into liquidation in
1936 anything that was worthwhile was taken from many of
the buildings, in particular roofing materials. In the
upper photograph the more modern bungalow beyond the
hotel was still in use but the hotel (the 2-storey
building) lacks a roof. In the foreground are the
remains of the coolie lines.
View of company side looking
northwest towards the hotel
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In the lower picture two structures stand out:
the condensing plant in the tall rectangular
shed, still in working order and providing the
water supply for all those on the island; and
two tanks – not the same ones as those in the
1928 photograph. They were much nearer Pirie
Point and much squatter. |
Looking at Google Earth, only one tank remains
(slap in the middle of the former cricket
ground!) To the amateur eye the condensing plant
looks to have gone – and unless it was replaced
by another would explain why the island appears
to be more or less deserted, in particular no
boats of any kind drawn up on the beach at
Meyun. |
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On the other hand Google Earth appears to show
many more complete buildings on Company Side
than were there in 1964. Presumably these were
put up when a number of missile boats and other
craft were based there in the years after the
British left. But there is no sign of any
seaworthy craft now (2006/07). |
The lighthouse can be seen in the background, on
the hill above the condensing plant. All ships
anchoring in the harbour would enter their
position in their log by taking bearings on the
lighthouse and other pinpoint features. On the
skyline to the left of the lighthouse is a hill
on the Arabian shore, above Sheikh Syed. |
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