The Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps
Historic Sites to Visit in Central
A walk amidst the hustle and bustle of Central during a weekday rush hour can be a bewildering experience. As Hong Kong’s business district, Central is the heart of the matter when it concerns business. But visitors to Hong Kong would not miss the historic significance of Central. Innumerable historical structures speak amply to the life of Hong Kong’s early colonial times. From churches to temples, from civilian governance to military defense, from marketplaces to banking high-rises, Central is a place that epitomizes the spirited motions of Hong Kong life. Central weaves together the dynamics of the business world, the commoners’ lives and the world’s ever-evolving relationships. And this is what defines Hong Kong.
In the following few entries under Hong Kong Lesser Known, I will discuss a number of historical sites in Central that, in my view, will present a narrative that is representative of Hong Kong. I will also propose a roadmap for a historic tour in Central, for those who would like to come within these structures and feel their celebrated presence.
The Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps
Lying on the east of Central’s business district is a set of steps that have acquired historic status. On Queen’s Road Central, go eastward toward the Admiralty direction. Make a right when you see Duddell Street. Keep going about thirty meters and you will come upon a set of granite steps, with classic balustrades lining its two sides. Standing on the four corners of the steps are four gas lamps that came from the colonial times.
The Duddell Street was named after the merchant brothers George and Frederick Duddell, who owned a lot of land and property in this area of Central during the 19th century. The Duddell Street Steps connects Duddell Street to Ice House Street in its south, but at a higher elevation.
The Architectural Features of the Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps
Installation for the Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps completed circa 1883-1889, still early in the colonial days. Together, the steps and the gas lamps of Duddell Street are the very expression of colonial architecture. According to the Antiquities and Monuments Office, “It is characterised by heavily moulded newels, rails and balusters of Tuscan order.” On the two sides of the steps are lined granite retaining walls that support the steps and the balustrades.
The Duddell Street Gas Lamps
The Duddell Street Gas Lamps were once the standard lighting in Hong Kong Streets. These lamps are two-light Rochester models of the firm William Sugg & Co., and they were added during the early 20th century. In the old days, they were hand-lit, but now they are lit automatically by the supply of gas by Towngas and they are still working. Every day at 6pm the lamps are lit, and then at 6am they are turned off automatically. In 1967, Hong Kong electrified its street lights, and so these four gas lamps remain the only working examples of gas lamps in all of Hong Kong.
The current lamp shades were an addition of 1984, when the Hong Kong Government specifically ordered them from Britain for a cost of more than $100,000. At some point, there were talks about moving these four gas lamps to a museum, but eventually they stayed at this current location as part of the declared monument.
Typhoon Mangkhut of 2018 caused severe damage to the Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps. According to the Antiquities and Monuments Office, “the project team was determined to adhere strictly to the conservation principle of using original craftsmanship and materials, supplemented by advanced 3D scanning technology in order to restore the monument faithfully. The restoration was completed on 23 December 2019.”
The Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps are a declared monument.
Sources
The Antiquities and Monuments Office, Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps, Central.
The Wikipedia on Duddell Street.