HK Streets

Streets named after governors:

(明報)2011年3月3日 星期四 05:05
【明報專訊】Almost every governor of Hong Kong had a street named after him. Many streets in Hong Kong were named after its British governors.

■Bonham Road
般咸道
Bonham Road was named after Sir Samuel George Bonham, Hong Kong's third governor. Bonham Strand and Bonham Strand West were similarly named after him. Originally a shallow swamp, Bonham Strand was reclaimed into land during his term of office. The Strand was thus named after him.

■Pottinger Street
砵典乍街
Sir Henry Pottinger was Hong Kong's first governor. He represented Britain at the signing of the Nanjing Treaty (《南京條約》). He took office on 26 June 1843 and served in that capacity until May 1844. Pottinger Street is commonly known as "flagstone street" (石板街) because it is constructed of flagstones.

■Davis Street
爹核士街
Davis Street, like Mount Davis Path (摩星嶺徑) and Mount Davis Road, was named after Sir John Francis Davis, who took over from Pottinger as Hong Kong's second governor. John Francis Davis was responsible for many laws of Hong Kong, such as the Police Law. His governorship saw Hong Kong's first census.

■Robinson Road
羅便臣道
There were two "Robinsons" among Hong Kong's governors. However, Robinson Road came into being shortly after Sir Hercules Robinson left office in 1859. It was therefore named after him. The other Robinson, Sir William Robinson, became governor in 1891. In 1861, Hercules Robinson took over the Kowloon Peninsula at Boundary Street (界限街) on behalf of the British crown. The street to the south of Boundary Street was then called Robinson Road. When another Robinson Road was built on Hong Kong Island, the original Robinson Road was renamed Nathan Road (彌敦道).

Streets named after members of the royal family:

(明報)2011年3月3日 星期四 05:05
【明報專訊】■Queen Victoria Street
域多利皇后街
Like Queen's Road, Queen Victoria Street was named after Queen Victoria. There is a road in London with the same name. The Chinese translation of the street is not altogether correct because huanghou (皇后) means an emperor's consort, but Queen Victoria was the sovereign. Nevertheless, it is still in use.

■Prince Edward Road
太子道
Prince Edward Road lies between three districts — Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City and Kwun Tong. In the 1920's, the government began developing Mongkok. A road connecting it with nearby Kowloon City was constructed. It was called Edward Avenue (宜華徑). In April 1922, Prince Edward, Crown Prince of Britain, went to the site during his stay in the territory. To commemorate this event, the government renamed it Prince Edward Road.

■King's Road
英皇道
King's Road was part of the Shaukiwan Road in the 1840s. To cope with increasing traffic, the government began to renovate it in 1934. The project was completed in June 1935. That year the UK celebrated the Silver Jubilee (25th anniversary) of King George V's accession. To commemorate the event, the government named the road after him. Part of the MTR Island Line runs underneath it.

■Queen's Road
皇后大道
Queen's Road, named after Queen Victoria of the Great Britain, is the first road built along the harbour in Hong Kong. It opened in February 1841, following the completion of Hong Kong's first reclamation project. It was then only 4 km long.

It was subsequently extended both eastwards and westwards and divided into three parts — Queen's Road East, Queen's Road Central and Queen's Road West.