Gresson Street () is a street in the

Wan Chai Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...

area of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

, Hong Kong. It connects

Queen's Road East Queen's Road East is a street in Wan Chai, in the north of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting Admiralty, Hong Kong, Admiralty in the west to Happy Valley, Hong Kong, Happy Valley in the east. Queen's Road East is one of the four ...

(south) to

Johnston Road Johnston Road () is a major road in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. Location Johnston Road spans from the junction with Heard Street, Hennessy Road and Stewart Road on its east, towards another junction with Hennessy Road and ...

(north).

Market

The open market of Gresson Street is part of the

Wan Chai Heritage Trail The Wan Chai Heritage Trail () is a walking trail in Hong Kong. It was launched on 27 September 2009 and is two hours in duration. It was formed by the Old Wan Chai Revitalisation Initiatives Special Committee (OWCRISC) established by the Develo ...

. The market began in the 1950s. Stalls sell wet and dry goods.

History

Gresson Street was opened around 1909 on Marine Lots 29 and 30, when the lots were redeveloped by Hongkong Land. The street was named after William Jardine Gresson (1869–1934), a partner of Jardine, Matheson & Co. from 1901 to 1910. A noted shootout, the "Siege of Gresson Street", took place here on 22 January 1918, as a gang of armed-robbers were trapped while raiding a tenement at No.6 Gresson Street. Four or five policemen and two robbers were shot dead and an additional robber and six policemen were wounded. The Governor, Francis May, a former Captain Superintendent of

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, personally negotiated with the last remaining gang member, but to no avail. When the young man refused to surrender, the Royal Garrison Artillery was used to "bomb" him out.Grandsons of siege victim visit Force
HK Police 'Offbeat', Issue 795. 23 March 2005

References

Street markets in Hong Kong Wan Chai Roads on Hong Kong Island {{HKIsland-geo-stub

Market

History

See also

References