Duddell Street

This short street includes, at its southern end, a flight of granite steps that were built between 1875 and 1889;^[1][a] these lead up to Ice House Street. The street was named in honour of brothers George and Frederick Duddell, who were landowners in the early days of the colony, having emigrated from Macau after the British Empire annexed Hong Kong Island in 1841.^[3] George was an auctioneer and ultimately a significant property owner in the area around the present Duddell Street in the mid-19th century.^[4] When Frederick and his wife died, they were both buried back in Macau at the Old Protestant Cemetery.^[3]

 

 

The street is famous for its four gas-powered street lamps, which are the only surviving and working examples of their kind in Hong Kong since the electrification of street lights in 1967. The four gas lamps, along with the flight of steps on the street, have been declared a monument since 1979.^[5][6]

The gas lamps are two-light Rochester models supplied by the London-based William Sugg and Company and were erected in the early-20th century. They are mounted in pairs at either end of the street's steps, and were designed with shorter posts so that they could be mounted on the newels.^[2][5][6]

The gas lamps were originally lit manually, but are now operated automatically.^[5] They are lit from 6 pm to 6 am everyday and are maintained by The Hong Kong and China Gas Company and the Highways Department.^[2][6]

On 16 September 2018 during Typhoon Mangkhut, the four lamps suffered varying degrees of damage, with one of the lamp posts snapping in two. The broken lamp and two others were removed, while one remained with a broken lampshade. Large sections of handrails and the balustrades on the steps were also damaged by falling trees. Repairs cost an estimated HK$4 million and was completed after 15 months.^[2][6][7]

In June 2009, Hong Kong retail design store G.O.D. collaborated with Starbucks and created a store with a "Bing Sutt Corner" at their store on Duddell Street. It is a concept that fuses the retro bing sutt, a Hong Kong teahouse style with the contemporary look of a coffeehouse.^{[8][dead link]}

In April 2012, the flagship store of clothing retailer Shanghai Tang was opened at 1 Duddell Street, known as the 'Shanghai Tang Mansion'. It is close to 1,400 m² (15,000 sq ft) in size and is the largest branch in the world, designed by Shanghai-based design firm Design MVW.^[9]

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  Gas lamp and stairs on Duddell Street
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  Gas lamp on Duddell Street
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  Gas lamp on Duddell Street
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  Pipeline supplying town gas to the street lamps
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  An old tree on the stone wall of the street

• Central and Western Heritage Trail
• List of streets and roads in Hong Kong

• Kong, Wing Man Fanny (2022). "Restoration of the Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps". Collected Essays of the Greater Bay Area Built Heritage Summit (PDF). Antiquities and Monuments Office. pp. 249–371.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duddell Street.

• Information from Film Services Office
• Google Maps of Duddell Street
• "Duddell Street Steps / Duddell Street to Ice House Street". Hong Kong Stair Archive. Stair Culture.