Conduit Road
Encyclopedia
Conduit Road is a road in the Mid-Levels
on Hong Kong Island
in Hong Kong
.
. It is named after the aqueduct passing underneath which carries water from the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir
to the Central
area. It is at the highest point on Victoria Peak
reached by the Central-Mid-Levels escalator. It is also the second highest road; second to Po Shan Road; in Western Mid-Levels. The road was renamed as "Izumo-dori" (出雲通) during Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
. After the surrender and evacuation of Japanese army, its name was changed back.
It is a luxury residential area
. One of the road's earliest residents was Catchick Paul Chater
, who built a magnificent residence at 1, Conduit Road named 'Marble Hall
', whose gatehouse is the only reminder of this connection today. The road interchanges with Glenealy at the east-end with Hornsey Road intersecting next to the "slope section" near the east-end of the road.
Kotewall Road
, Po Shan Road, and Hatton Road at the west-end. The east-end is often considered as the start of the road with the rest being sparsely populated with less traffic.
Because of its long history, the residence found along it are at times relatively older and lower-standard than the more recent properties, and those found on the relatively newly developed Central Mid-Levels area. A example of the larger "old" residential apartments is Realty Gardens (No. 41) . Other similarly old properties include Elegant Garden (No.11), Panorama (No.15), Cliffview Mansions (No. 17-19 & 21-25); Conway Mansion (No.29) ; Woodland Gardens (No.62A ~ F) ; Manly Mansion (No.44,44A)and Arts Mansion (No.31).
Other than Realty Gardens, all the other relatively old assets are concentrated very shallow into the road itself as proven by the almost-consecutive numbers. These properties are also all built on the northern side of the road, as shown by all the even numbers. The main reason for this is that there were no flat tough ground for foundations on the waterfront side (northern side) of the road 30–40 years ago, but only slopes of greenery. Furthermore, building them on the mountainside is easier and allows a more laid-back position with a better view of the Victoria Harbour
. Thus the buildings standing along the eastern part and on the waterfront side of the road (northern side) were mostly built in recent times. They were built by removing sections of the mountain (so to add foundations) and/or extending the foundations from Robinson Road
- the road one stree-level lower. This is mostly the case for the near-easterm-end part of Conduit Road.
In the past, until the early 1990s; the views of the harbour were mostly uninterrupted for the any mid-rise mountainside properties lining the mountainside near the eastern end of the road. (they have had to be of lesser height as they are elevated by the slope; the height limit was also very low 30–40 years ago). However In the early 1990s, new properties began to be constructed by extending foundations from Robinson Road. And since the building height requirements became much more loose with the buildings being 30-40 storeys high, the harbour views were no more.
Number 41A Conduit Road is a deeply secluded pre-war house blocked-from-view by Realty Gardens (No. 41) and is located on the hillside. Number 41, next door, had a wide history; not only did it feature as the original location of The Foreign Correspondents' Club
but it was also the Hospital in the 1955 film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
. Number 2 also has proven history and city-wide recognition: it is renowned for housing influential Hong Kong socialites.
The odd numbers starts at the busier eastern end of the road from the government estate Chater Hall Flats (No.1 Conduit Road)and ends at Skyline Mansion (No. 51 Conduit Road) near the western end of the road; while even numbers starts right across No.1, Yukon Court (No.2 Conduit Road) is its name, ran all the way through Kiu Sen Court (No.70 Conduit Road). Although there is currently a construction site numbered 55 on the road which will technically forever be the last property on the road in terms of location(as the site is located on the last stretch of land on Conduit Road).
Thus, the main reason for the particular direction of property-numbering was chiefly attributed by the fact that the first properties to have graced Conduit Road were all concentrated at the eastern end; which is understandable as that end is closer to the Central District
than the western end giving it much higher accessibility and convenience.
On 18 June 1972 an even more devastating landslide occurred. It started from a redevelopment site on Conduit Road above Po Shan Road and slid down 270 meters to Kotewall Road crossing Conduit Road near number 53. Casualties were high with 67 people killed, 20 injured and 2 buildings totally destroyed. An estimated 40,000 cubic meters of earth and debris moved in this slip.
Mid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
on Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
The road and buildings
Conduit Road was constructed in 1910. It is located in Western Mid-LevelsMid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
. It is named after the aqueduct passing underneath which carries water from the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir
Pok Fu Lam Reservoir
Pok Fu Lam Reservoir is the first reservoir in Hong Kong. It is located in a valley in Pok Fu Lam. It is actually two reservoirs with capacity of 260 km³.-History:...
to the Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
area. It is at the highest point on Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
reached by the Central-Mid-Levels escalator. It is also the second highest road; second to Po Shan Road; in Western Mid-Levels. The road was renamed as "Izumo-dori" (出雲通) during Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
. After the surrender and evacuation of Japanese army, its name was changed back.
It is a luxury residential area
Luxury real estate
Luxury real estate is the real estate market niche targeted at the highest socio-economic group of consumers. -Definition:The characteristics that define luxury real estate differ among countries...
. One of the road's earliest residents was Catchick Paul Chater
Catchick Paul Chater
Sir Catchick Paul Chater, CMG , was a prominent British businessman of Armenian descent in colonial Hong Kong.-Early life:...
, who built a magnificent residence at 1, Conduit Road named 'Marble Hall
Marble Hall (Hong Kong)
Marble Hall was the private residence of Catchick Paul Chater. It situated at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong, and was constructed in 1901, from imported European marble. Historians regard it as one of the finest ever examples of architecture in Hong Kong....
', whose gatehouse is the only reminder of this connection today. The road interchanges with Glenealy at the east-end with Hornsey Road intersecting next to the "slope section" near the east-end of the road.
Kotewall Road
Kotewall Road
Kotewall Road, , is a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island. Located between Po Shan Road and Robinson Road.- The name :Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall was a prominent businessman. In 1913, he was named Clerk to the Magistracy and JP. By 1919, Dr Kotewall was in trade as the manager of the Hong Kong...
, Po Shan Road, and Hatton Road at the west-end. The east-end is often considered as the start of the road with the rest being sparsely populated with less traffic.
Because of its long history, the residence found along it are at times relatively older and lower-standard than the more recent properties, and those found on the relatively newly developed Central Mid-Levels area. A example of the larger "old" residential apartments is Realty Gardens (No. 41) . Other similarly old properties include Elegant Garden (No.11), Panorama (No.15), Cliffview Mansions (No. 17-19 & 21-25); Conway Mansion (No.29) ; Woodland Gardens (No.62A ~ F) ; Manly Mansion (No.44,44A)and Arts Mansion (No.31).
Other than Realty Gardens, all the other relatively old assets are concentrated very shallow into the road itself as proven by the almost-consecutive numbers. These properties are also all built on the northern side of the road, as shown by all the even numbers. The main reason for this is that there were no flat tough ground for foundations on the waterfront side (northern side) of the road 30–40 years ago, but only slopes of greenery. Furthermore, building them on the mountainside is easier and allows a more laid-back position with a better view of the Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
. Thus the buildings standing along the eastern part and on the waterfront side of the road (northern side) were mostly built in recent times. They were built by removing sections of the mountain (so to add foundations) and/or extending the foundations from Robinson Road
Robinson Road, Hong Kong
Robinson Road is a 2-lane, bi-directional road on the Mid-levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. In the east, it is connected with the Magazine Gap Road and Garden Road, and in the west with Babington Road and Park Road, Robinson Road is quite long. With Central-Mid-Levels escalator, it also...
- the road one stree-level lower. This is mostly the case for the near-easterm-end part of Conduit Road.
In the past, until the early 1990s; the views of the harbour were mostly uninterrupted for the any mid-rise mountainside properties lining the mountainside near the eastern end of the road. (they have had to be of lesser height as they are elevated by the slope; the height limit was also very low 30–40 years ago). However In the early 1990s, new properties began to be constructed by extending foundations from Robinson Road. And since the building height requirements became much more loose with the buildings being 30-40 storeys high, the harbour views were no more.
Number 41A Conduit Road is a deeply secluded pre-war house blocked-from-view by Realty Gardens (No. 41) and is located on the hillside. Number 41, next door, had a wide history; not only did it feature as the original location of The Foreign Correspondents' Club
Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong
The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong is a members-only club and meeting place for the media, business and diplomatic community. It is located at 2 Lower Albert Road in Central, next to the Hong Kong Fringe Club, and they both occupy the Old Dairy Farm Depot at the top of Ice House Street,...
but it was also the Hospital in the 1955 film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film)
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing is a 1955 American drama-romance film. Set in 1949-50 Hong Kong, it tells the story of a married, but separated, American reporter , who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor originally from China , only to encounter prejudice from her family and from Hong Kong...
. Number 2 also has proven history and city-wide recognition: it is renowned for housing influential Hong Kong socialites.
Numbering
Numbers are odd on the mountainside of the road and even on the side closer to waterfront; which makes sense since the first properties were built along the mountainside (southern side) of the road.The odd numbers starts at the busier eastern end of the road from the government estate Chater Hall Flats (No.1 Conduit Road)and ends at Skyline Mansion (No. 51 Conduit Road) near the western end of the road; while even numbers starts right across No.1, Yukon Court (No.2 Conduit Road) is its name, ran all the way through Kiu Sen Court (No.70 Conduit Road). Although there is currently a construction site numbered 55 on the road which will technically forever be the last property on the road in terms of location(as the site is located on the last stretch of land on Conduit Road).
Thus, the main reason for the particular direction of property-numbering was chiefly attributed by the fact that the first properties to have graced Conduit Road were all concentrated at the eastern end; which is understandable as that end is closer to the Central District
Central District
There is more than one place called Central District, Center District or Centre District:*Central District *Center District, Israel*Tsentralny District, Russia*Central District, Seattle*Central, Hong Kong...
than the western end giving it much higher accessibility and convenience.
Lethal landslides
On 7 December 1911 a major landslip; caused by heavy rainfall; killed four people at a building site. This occurred during excavation and heavy rain.On 18 June 1972 an even more devastating landslide occurred. It started from a redevelopment site on Conduit Road above Po Shan Road and slid down 270 meters to Kotewall Road crossing Conduit Road near number 53. Casualties were high with 67 people killed, 20 injured and 2 buildings totally destroyed. An estimated 40,000 cubic meters of earth and debris moved in this slip.
See also
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- 39 Conduit Road39 Conduit Road39 Conduit Road is a residential property situated in Conduit Road in western mid-Levels of Hong Kong. It is a prestige development by Henderson Land Development....
- Central-Mid-Levels escalator