Des Voeux Road Central and
Des Voeux Road West are two roads on the north shore of the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
. They were named after the 10th
Governor of Hong Kong, Sir
George William Des Vœux. The
name was predominantly spelt with the
ligature œ in
pre-war documents but is nowadays spelt officially as
Des
Voeux Road.
History
Beginning
in 1857, the northern shore of Hong Kong Island (also known as
Victoria
City
) underwent a series of reclamations under
then-Governor Sir John Bowring.
The first
phase of the Praya Reclamation
Scheme had a direct affect on this current street, which used
to be known as Praya Central during the
Colonial Hong
Kong
era. Bowring's plans were opposed by British
merchants who held lands in the Central area, and in response, the
government instead commenced work in land reclamation in the
Chinese-populated Western District. By the time the reclamation was
extended to Central, the newly reclaimed land in Western had
already been settled, and there was a discontinuity between the two
roads running along the western and middle portions of the
reclaimed shoreline. Upon completion, the roads were named Bowring
Praya West and Bowring Praya Central respectively.
Another series of extensive reclamation projects began in 1887
under then-Governor Des Voeux. Upon completion in 1904, Bowring
Praya West and Bowring Praya Central (which by then were situated
inland from the shoreline) were respectively renamed Des Voeux Road
West and Des Voeux Road Central per the orders of then-
Colonial Secretary and acting
Governor
Francis Fleming during the
Duke of
Connaught's visit to Hong Kong in 1890.
Des Voeux Road Central
Des Voeux Road Central runs from Western to Central.
It begins at the
intersection with On Tai Street in
Western and merges with Queen's Road Central
where it becomes Queensway
(and, later, Hennessy Road).
Des Voeux Road West
Des Voeux Road West runs from Western
Shek Tong Tsui.
It reaches an
alignment several blocks down at the junction with Connaught Road
West
and becomes Kennedy Town Praya in Shek Tong
Tsui.
Renaming 1942-1945
From 1942 to 1945, the road was renamed
Shōwa-dori by the Japanese occupation
government.
Public transportation
Des Voeux Road Central is shared between motor traffic and the
tram line, with tracks and
reserved lanes for the trams laid in the middle of the road. A
bus lane runs along the road for most of
its length. Part of the
MTR Island Line also runs underneath the Des
Voeux Road, currently terminating at
Sheung Wan Station near the
Western Market.
Due to the discontinuity between Des Voeux Roads Central and West,
the tram line takes a detour along Connaught Road West and then
continues along Des Voeux Road West towards
Kennedy Town.
The
Central-Mid-Levels escalators
link Des Voeux Road Central with Conduit Road in
the Mid-levels, passing through narrow streets.
See also
Notes
- Wordie, Jason. [2002] (2002) Streets: Exploring Hong Kong
Island. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN
962-2095631
References
- Leung, To (1992). Origins of Hong Kong Street Names.
Urban Council.
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
