Edinburgh Place is a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, adjacent to the

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...

. The

Hong Kong City Hall Hong Kong City Hall () is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong is a " Special Administrative Region" and not a normal Chinese city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the ...

is located in the square. In addition, the

Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier, was a pier in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong, serving the Star Ferry. The pier, with its clock tower, was a prominent waterfront landmark. Built in 1957 at the heigh ...

and

Queen's Pier Queen's Pier, named after Queen Victoria, was a public pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong. For three generations it served not only as a public pier in day-to-day use but also as a major ceremonial arrival and d ...

were also located in the square before they were demolished in early 2007.

History

The Edinburgh Place complex, which included the City Hall and the Memorial gardens were designed by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s Ron Phillips and

Alan Fitch Ernest Alan Fitch (10 March 1915 – 7 August 1985) was a British Labour Party politician. Fitch was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1927–1932), and was a mineworker. He represented mineworkers on the executive committee of the Lancashire ...

in 1956 for the most important civic functions of the city. The Star Ferry Pier was designed by a local architect Hung Yip Chan (born 1921). He worked in the Architectural Office (AO) of the former Public Works Department from 1952–1957 as an assistant architect. He designed the facade of the pier, and the Chief Architect, Michael Wright, added the Clock Tower to make the pier more balanced. Queen's Pier, completed in 1954, was "an integral part" of the cluster: the entrance to the City Hall formed an axis with the Pier to lend a sense of occasion to visiting dignitaries. From the completion of City Hall in 1962, each arriving new

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

would land at Queen's Pier, and they would hold an inspection of the

Guard of honour A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

in Edinburgh Place before being sworn in nearby in the City Hall.Annexe B3
, EIA: A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III, Chan Sui San Peter for the HK Government, February 2001 The Star Ferry Pier was completed in 1957. Edinburgh Place was deliberately kept as open space in the overbuilt city, freely accessible to the public, as this was considered an essential contrast to the city bustle. Its openness meant that the square would occasionally be used as a rallying point for small marches and protests within earshot of legislators. For example, in July 1978, 2000 people rallied to demand the re-opening of the defunct Precious Blood Golden Jubilee School. Since October 1987, the Legislative Council has banned gatherings outside the principal LegCo building.Andy Ho
Legco clamps down on violent protests
'' The Standard'', 17-Oct-1987

References

{{Coord, 22.28288, 114.16083, display=title Central, Hong Kong Squares in Hong Kong

History

See also

References