Connaught Road is a major thoroughfare on the north shore of Hong Kong Island,

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 ...

. It links Shing Sai Road in Kennedy Town to the west and Harcourt Road in

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

to the east.

Location

The road consists of two adjoining sections, namely Connaught Road Central () and Connaught Road West (). Connaught Road Central runs the length of

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 ...

, parallel to the north shore. It runs from approximately

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 Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District. It is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellett, around Telegraph Bay. Pok Fu Lam can claim several ''firsts'' in the his ...

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 The Western Harbour Crossing (WHC) is a dual 3-lane immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong. It is the third road tunnel to cross Victoria Harbour, linking the newly reclaimed land in Yau Ma Tei on Kowloon West with Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Isl ...

and beyond to

Shek Tong Tsui Shek Tong Tsui or Belcher Point is an area in Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District. This area is bounded north by the Victoria Harbour, south by Pok Fu Lam Road and Third ...

, where it merges with

Des Voeux Road West Des Voeux Road Central and Des Voeux Road West are two roads on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. They were named after the 10th Governor of Hong Kong, Sir William Des Vœux. The name was sometimes spelt with the ligature (typog ...

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, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn visited Hong Kong, when

Francis Fleming Sir Francis Fleming (31 July 1842 – 4 December 1922) ( Chinese: 菲林明) was a British administrator who held appointments in eleven colonies. The son of James Fleming (1812–1887), Q.C. of Dorset Square and Julia Matilda (1811–18 ...

, the then acting

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 ...

announced a new road to be constructed in front of the old "Bowring Praya" (present day

Des Voeux Road Des Voeux Road Central and Des Voeux Road West are two roads on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. They were named after the 10th Governor of Hong Kong, Sir William Des Vœux. The name was sometimes spelt with the ligature œ i ...

). This newly constructed road was then named Connaught Road, after the prince. A statue of the Duke once also occupied the junction of

Pedder Street Pedder Street is a major thoroughfare in the core of Hong Kong's Central District. It runs south–north from Queen's Road Central, continues through Des Voeux Road Central, and ends at its intersection with Connaught Road Central. History ...

. Connaught Road West was lined with many piers in the past. Rice wholesalers gathered there owing to its proximity to the shore. Due to

reclamation Reclaim, reclaimed, reclaimer, reclaiming or reclamation means "to get something back". It may refer to: * Land reclamation, creating new land from oceans, riverbeds, or lake beds * Dedesertification, reversing of the land degradation in arid ...

of the harbour, the entire length of Connaught Road has now become landlocked.

Structures along Connaught Road

Connaught Road Central

AIG Tower The AIA Central (), formerly called AIG Tower (), in Hong Kong is a 185-metre (607 ft.), 37-storey skyscraper that was completed in 2005 and serves as the headquarters of AIA Group. It is located in Central, not far from the landmark Bank ...

* Edinburgh Tower *

Hong Kong Club Building The Hong Kong Club Building () is a 25-story office building located in between Chater Road and Connaught Road Central at the junction of Jackson Road, in Central, Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Club Building is currently in its third generation, in ...

Statue Square Statue Square (; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong. Built entirely on reclaimed land at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by Chater Road into a n ...

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 ...

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong is a five-star hotel on Connaught Road Central in Central, Hong Kong, owned and managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. History Construction of the hotel on the site of the colonial Queen's Building on ...

* Connaught Place *

Chater House Chater House () is an office tower in Central, Hong Kong. Opened in March 2003, it is a part of the Hongkong Land portfolio of properties. It has a three-level retail podium, known as Landmark Chater. The building was built on the site of th ...

Jardine House Jardine House (), formerly known as Connaught Centre (), is an office tower in Hong Kong. The building is located at 1 Connaught Place, Central on Hong Kong Island. It is owned by Hongkong Land Limited, a subsidiary of Jardines. At the time ...

Central Elevated Walkway The Central Elevated Walkway is an extensive footbridge network spanning Admiralty, Central and parts of Sheung Wan, near Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. The system was built in phases by the Hong Kong Government and various developers, such as ...

World-Wide House World-Wide House is an office building in Central, Hong Kong. It is located between Connaught Road Central, Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central. History The site is situated on land reclaimed at the turn of the 20th century. WWH was cons ...

Exchange Square Exchange may refer to: Physics *Gas exchange is the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Places United States * Exchange, Indiana, an unincorporated community * ...

* International Finance Centre Tower One *

Wing On House Wing On House () is a commercial building located at No. 71 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong. History Upon its completion in 1967, it was Hong Kong's tallest commercial building, with 31 storeys. It held that distinction until 1971, wh ...

Hang Seng Bank Headquarters Building The Hang Seng Bank New Headquarters Building is a skyscraper at No. 83 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters of the Hang Seng Bank. History The former Central Fire Station previously stood on the site. After ...

Shun Tak Centre Shun Tak Centre () is a commercial and transport complex on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. It comprises a 4-storey podium containing a shopping centre and car park, two 38-storey office towers, and the Hong ...

Connaught Road West

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park is a waterfront park in the Sai Ying Pun area of Hong Kong Island, facing Victoria Harbour. The park is named after Sun Yat-sen, and is the only one in Hong Kong named for a Chinese historic figure. History Resident ...

* Witty Street Depot of the Hong Kong Tramways * Western Wholesale Food Market *

* Liaison Office of the Central People's Government * * Island Pacific Hotel

Gallery

Image:Chater House 2008.jpg, Connaught Road frontage of

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 Hang Seng Bank Limited () is a Hong Kong-based banking and financial services company with headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of Hong Kong's leading public companies in terms of market capitalisation and is part of the HSBC Group, ...

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

Roads on Hong Kong Island Route 4 (Hong Kong) Central and Western District, Hong Kong