Bridges Street

Bridges Street (Chinese: 必列者士街) is a 300-metre two-way street in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

Bridges Street Market in 2008.

The Church of Christ in China China Congregational Church, Bridges Street in 2011.

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, Bridges Street.

Location

On the east, the street intersects Shing Wong Street and Staunton Street. On the west, it intersects Square Street. The west side of the street ends with a staircase which connects Tai Ping Shan Street. Therefore, to go to Hollywood Road, drivers must drive back to Aberdeen Street.

Naming

Its name comes from William Thomas Bridges, a British lawyer, Acting Attorney General and Acting Colonial Secretary, who was active in Hong Kong from 1851 to 1861.^[1][2][3] Bridges was an old friend^{[citation needed]} of Sir John Bowring, the 4th Governor of Hong Kong. The law firm established by Bridges later became known as Deacons.^[4]

Landmarks

• Bridges Street Market (No. 2). A Bauhaus style market, originally opened in 1953,^[5] and scheduled to be renovated and open in 2018 as a news museum.^[6][7] It was partly built on the site of the former American Congregational Mission Preaching House at which Dr. Sun Yat-sen was baptised into Christianity in 1883.^[8][9]
• CentreStage, a new luxury landmark apartment near Soho, Hong Kong
• Ladder Street
• King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School (英皇書院同學會小學) (No. 58).
• The Church of Christ in China China Congregational Church (中華基督教會公理堂（必列者士街）) (No. 68).
• Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Bridges Street Centre (香港中華基督教青年會必列者士街會所) (No. 51). Built in 1918 in Eclectic architectural style with Chicago School influence. The architects were Shattuck and Hussey of Chicago, which specialised in YMCA building design.^[10] The premises included the first indoor swimming pool in Hong Kong and sports playground with a jogging track.^[11] It is part of the Central and Western Heritage Trail. Its central building was formerly a Grade II historic building and was listed as a Grade I historic building in 2009.^[12]
• Island Christian Academy (no. 70)^[13]

References

1. 香港地方 | 道路及鐵路 | 道路名稱(五)英官員命名道路
2. Endacott, G. B. (2005) [1962]. A biographical sketch-book of early Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 125–127. ISBN 978-962-209-742-1.
3. Hong Kong's First. "Peculiar, Sometimes Dubious, Civil Servants"
4. Deacons website: "About Us Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine"
5. Antiquities and Monuments Office: Historic Building Appraisal, Bridges Street Market Archived 22 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
6. 必列啫士街市「包浩斯」活化重生 The Sun. 27 April 2011. (in Chinese)
7. Chou, Oliver (22 August 2016). "Hong Kong's news museum will show history as it happened". South China Morning Post.
8. Bridges Street Market – 2 Bridges Street, Central^{[permanent dead link]} Film Services Office. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
9. Antiquities and Monuments Office: Original Site of the American Congregational Mission Preaching House, 2 Bridges Street Archived 23 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
10. "From British Colonization to Japanese Invasion" (PDF). HKIA Journal (45): 53. 2006.
11. Antiquities and Monuments Office: Brief Information on Proposed Grade 1 Items. Item #85 Archived 13 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
12. Antiquities and Monuments Office: List of the Historic Buildings in Building Assessment Archived 18 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine (as of 20 May 2016)
13. "Island Christian Academy". www.islandca.edu.hk. Retrieved 12 August 2018.

External links

• Bridges Street on Google Map
• "Stairs of Bridges Street / Kui In Fong/Square Street to Tank Lane". Hong Kong Stair Archive. Stair Culture.

22°17′01″N 114°09′00″E