Battery Path () is a pedestrian-only

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

located beneath

Government Hill The Government Hill is a hill in Central, Hong Kong, bounded by upper section of Upper Albert Road on the south, Queen's Road Central north, Garden Road east, and Glenealy, west of Hong Kong Island. The hill has been the administrative ...

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. Named after

Murray Battery Murray Battery was an artillery battery located on Battery Path, beneath Government Hill in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Sir George Murray, it was built in 1841, shortly after the British took possession of Hong Kong, and served to protect ...

, it stretches from

Queen's Road Central Queen's Road is a collection of roads along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong, within the limit of Victoria, Hong Kong, Victoria City. It was the first road in Hong Kong, constructed History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s), by t ...

to Garden Road. The path is noted for many historical landmarks situated on it, most notably the

Former Central Government Offices The Former Central Government Offices (also the Government Headquarters), now called Justice Place, is an office building complex that formerly housed most of the major offices of the Hong Kong Government. The complex is located in Cent ...

, the

Former French Mission Building The Former French Mission Building is a declared monument located on Government Hill at 1, Battery Path, Central, Hong Kong. It housed the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 1 July 1997 to 6 September 2015. Antiquities and Monuments O ...

and St. John's Cathedral.

History

During the

First Opium War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

, the British occupied Hong Kong in 1841 and one year later, the territory was ceded to them in the

Treaty of Nanking The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese later termed the Unequal Treaties. In the ...

. The new administration chose the site around present-day Battery Path to build its headquarters and defences. Construction on the path was completed in approximately 1841, at around the same time that its namesake—

—was built. At the time, both the path and the battery were located on

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 ...

's waterfront with

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 ...

. However, it is now situated much farther inland due to the amount of

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

that has been undertaken since its opening. During the early twentieth century, the path was popular with and frequented daily by

sedan chair The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the e ...

drivers, who would take advantage of the shade provided by the

banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

that lined the sides of the road. Although the use of sedan chairs ceased after the 1960s, the trees remain in the same place.

Description and features

From its western end, Battery Path begins at the junction between

and

Ice House Street Ice House Street () is a one-way street in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Named after the structure previously located on it that housed the city's only source of ice, it stretches from Lower Albert Road to Connaught Road. The street ...

. It separates from the main thoroughfare through a series of stairs elevating the path above Queen's Road; the stairs are located next to the West Wing of the

. The next landmark on the route is the

. Located on 1 Battery Path, this neoclassical building currently houses the Court of Final Appeal. The path ends at the intersection with Garden Road, where St. John's Cathedral is located.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Hong Kong, British Empire, Roads Central, Hong Kong Government Hill 1841 establishments in Hong Kong Roads on Hong Kong Island Odonyms referring to a building

History

Description and features

See also

References

External links