Battery Path

Battery Path (Chinese: 炮台里) is a pedestrian-only[1] footpath located beneath Government Hill in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Murray Battery, it stretches from Queen's Road Central to Garden Road. The path is noted for many historical landmarks situated on it, most notably the Former Central Government Offices, the Former French Mission Building and St. John's Cathedral.

Battery Path
Entrance of Battery Path, near the junction of Queen's Road Central and Ice House Street
Native name炮台里
LocationCentral, Hong Kong
Coordinates
West endQueen's Road Central
East endGarden Road
Construction
Completion1841

History
The West Wing of the Former Central Government Offices as seen from Battery Path.

During the First Opium War, the British occupied Hong Kong in 1841 and one year later, the territory was ceded to them in the Treaty of Nanking. The new administration chose the site around present-day Battery Path to build its headquarters and defences.[2] Construction on the path was completed in approximately 1841, at around the same time that its namesake—Murray Battery—was built.[3] At the time, both the path and the battery were located on Hong Kong Island's waterfront with Victoria Harbour.[4] However, it is now situated much farther inland due to the amount of land reclamation that has been undertaken since its opening.[1]

During the early twentieth century, the path was popular with and frequented daily by sedan chair drivers, who would take advantage of the shade provided by the banyan that lined the sides of the road.[3] Although the use of sedan chairs ceased after the 1960s, the trees remain in the same place.[1][3]

Description and features

From its western end, Battery Path begins at the junction between Queen's Road Central[5] and Ice House Street.[3] It separates from the main thoroughfare through a series of stairs elevating the path above Queen's Road;[5] the stairs are located next to the West Wing of the Former Central Government Offices. The next landmark on the route is the Former French Mission Building. Located on 1 Battery Path, this neoclassical building currently houses the Court of Final Appeal.[6] The path ends at the intersection with Garden Road, where St. John's Cathedral is located.[5]

See also

References
  1. Bailey, Steven K. (1 November 2009). Exploring Hong Kong: A Visitor's Guide to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. ThingsAsian Press. p. 28. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  2. DeWolf, Christopher (3 May 2011). "Why Government Hill needs to be conserved". CNN. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  3. Wordie, Jason (1 May 2002). Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 21–22. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  4. Bond, Graham (21 February 2011). Frommer's Hong Kong Day by Day. John Wiley & Sons. p. 49. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  5. McKirdy, Euan (12 May 2011). "Hong Kong's Second World War". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 March 2013. (subscription required)
  6. "Former French Mission Building, Battery Path, Central – Declared Monuments". Antiquities and Monuments Office. Government of Hong Kong. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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