Connaught Road
Connaught Road | |||||||||||||
Connaught Road Central at night, with Exchange Square on the left | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 干諾道 | ||||||||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 干诺道 | ||||||||||||
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Connaught Road is a major thoroughfare on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It links Shing Sai Road in Kennedy Town to the west and Harcourt Road in Admiralty to the east.
Location and History
The road consists of two adjoining sections,namely Connaught Road Central(干諾道中) and Connaught Road West (干諾道西).
Connaught Road Central runs the length of Central, parallel to the north shore. It runs from approximately Admiralty in the east, where it connects Harcourt Road at the junction with Murray Road. The road ends west at On Tai Street, where it becomes Connaught Road West.
Connaught Road West runs towards the Kennedy Town and Pok Fu Lam areas in the west. For most of the stretch, Connaught Road West runs beneath the Connaught Road West Flyover, (Route 4). It is the main thoroughfare to the entrance of the Western Harbour Tunnel and beyond to Shek Tong Tsui, where it merges with Des Voeux Road West.
This road was once a waterfront promenade with boats docked against the northern side of the road. In 1889, the north shore of Victoria City was under extensive reclamation. In 1890,Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn visited Hong Kong, when Francis Fleming,the then acting governor announced a new road to be constructed in front of the old "Bowring Praya"(present day Des Voeux Road ).This newly constructed road was then named Connaught Road, after the prince.[1] A statue of the Duke once also occupied the junction of Pedder Street.[1]
Connaught Road West was lined with many piers in the past. Rice wholesalers gathered there owing to its proximity to the shore. Due to reclamation of the harbour, the entire length of Connaught Road has now become landlocked.
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1911 map showing Connaught Road on the Central Waterfront
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Connaught Road at Pedder Street, with the Duke's statue on the right (1919)
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Connaght Road Central in the 1920s
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Connaught Road in the 1930s
Structures with frontage on Connaught Road
- AIG Tower
- Hong Kong Club Building
- Statue Square
- City Hall, Hong Kong
- Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
- Connaught Place
- Chater House
- Jardine House
- Central Elevated Walkway
- World-Wide House
- Exchange Square
- International Finance Centre Tower One
- Wing On House
- New Hang Seng Bank Headquarters Building
- Shun Tak Centre
Gallery
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Connaught Road frontage of Chater House
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AIG Tower, 1 Connaught Road Central
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The Mandarin Oriental Hotel
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Statue Square abuts Connaught Road
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The Hong Kong Club Building's frontage on Connaught Road
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City Hall facing Connaught Road
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Henry Moore's sculpture, Connaught Place
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The Central Elevated Walkway crosses Connaught Road
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Connaught Road, looking west (1IFC on the right)
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New Headquarters of the Hang Seng Bank
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Connaught Road West Flyover leading up to the Shun Tak Centre (background)
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Wing On House (middle); the two buildings to the right are the old and new headquarters of Hang Seng Bank
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ChinaChem Plaza and the China Insurance Group Building are both on Connaught Road Central
See also
References
- 1 2 Wordie, Jason (April 18, 1999). "Land-grabbing titans who changed HK's profit for good". Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Connaught Road. |
Preceded by Harcourt Road |
Hong Kong Route 4 Connaught Road Central |
Succeeded by Connaught Road West |
Preceded by Connaught Road Central |
Hong Kong Route 4 Connaught Road West |
Succeeded by Western Terminus |
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Coordinates: 22°16′51.60″N 114°9′46.80″E / 22.2810000°N 114.1630000°E