Connaught Road

Location

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 Crossing and beyond to Shek Tong Tsui, where it merges with Des Voeux Road West.

History

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, The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn visited the Colony of 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 royal duke.{{cite news |access-date=4 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522042337/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=27127&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19990418&sear_year=1999 |archive-date=22 May 2011

Connaught Road West was lined with many piers in the past. Due to the reclamation of the harbour, the entire length of Connaught Road has now become landlocked.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Connaught Road was renamed Sumiyoshi Dori (住吉通).

Structures along Connaught Road

Connaught Road Central

• AIG Tower
• Hong Kong Club Building
• Statue Square
• Hong Kong City Hall
• 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
• Hang Seng Bank Headquarters Building
• Shun Tak Centre

Connaught Road West

• Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park
• Witty Street Depot of the Hong Kong Tramways
• Western Wholesale Food Market
• Western Harbour Crossing
• Liaison Office of the Central People's Government
• Island Pacific Hotel

Gallery

Image:Chater House 2008.jpg| Connaught Road frontage of Chater House in July 2008 Image:aigtower.jpg|AIG Tower, 1 Connaught Road Central in August 2006 Image:HK Statue Square Xmas Tree Mandarin Oriental Hotel.JPG|The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in December 2006 Image:HK Chater Road Statue Square.jpg|Statue Square abuts Connaught Road in May 2006 Image:HK Club Connaught Road Central.JPG|The Hong Kong Club Building's frontage on Connaught Road in April 2007 Image:City Hall from Statue Square.jpg|City Hall facing Connaught Road in September 2004 Image:HK Connaught Garden Henry Moore sculture 6.JPG|Henry Moore's sculpture, Connaught Place in 2007 Image:Central Walkway.jpg|The Central Elevated Walkway crosses Connaught Road in June 2007 Image:Connaught Road Central daytime 2.jpg|Connaught Road, looking west in January 2006 (1IFC on the right) Image:HK Connaught Road C Hang Seng Bank Jubilee Street.JPG|New Headquarters of the Hang Seng Bank in April 2007 Image:Hkshuntak.jpg|Connaught Road West Flyover leading up to the Shun Tak Centre (background) in August 2005 Image:WingOnHouseCentralHKG.jpg|Wing On House (middle); the two buildings to the right are the old and new headquarters of Hang Seng Bank in September 2004 Image:HK 2 ChinaChem Plaza China Insurance Group Building 5.JPG|ChinaChem Plaza and the China Insurance Group Building are both on Connaught Road Central in April 2007 Image:Connaught_road_west_night_view_2019.10.jpg|Connaught Road West at night in October 2019

References

Connaught Road West

References

1. "Three Years and Eight Months: Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation".