Old Hong Kong Street Signs

Submitted by scottp on Fri, 10/20/2017 - 12:52

There's a few generations of street signs around Hong Kong. Not sure exactly what period they are from but I like the ones with an English name on top and Chinese name underneath on a custom cut-out iron plate. Here's the ones I've seen: https://hiddenhk.com/old-hk-street-signs - I'm sure there's more around, anyone know of others?

Thanks, Scott

Tags

Thanks David! - I've been told there's a few more too, here's the latest tally:

  • Apliu Street
  • Blue Pool Road
  • Burrows Street
  • Cape Collinson Road
  • Ching Lin Terrace
  • Connaught Road Central
  • Cotton Path
  • Hak Po Street
  • Haven Street
  • Healthy Street East
  • Hip Wo Lane
  • Hollywood Road
  • Johnston Road
  • Kam Hong Street
  • Ki Lung Street
  • King Sing Street
  • Lan Fong Road
  • Min Fat Street
  • On Tai Street
  • Shan Kwong Road
  • Shing Wong Street
  • Tai Hang Road
  • Tai Sun Street
  • Tai Wo Street
  • Triangle Street
  • Yiu Wa Street

I've found out that the Cape Collinson Road street sign is not there anymore but it is in the safe hands of an enthusiast in Hong Kong who bought it. It weighs 30kg!

Here's my current list of possible locations - I have visited 38 of them now: https://hiddenhk.com/old-hk-street-signs

Cast Iron Street Signs
Apliu Street
Blue Pool Road
Blue Pool Road
Boundary Street
Broom Road
Burrows Street
Cape Collinson Road
Caroline Hill Road
Castle Peak Road
Cheung Wa Street
Ching Lin Terrace
Chung Hing Street
Connaught Road Central
Cotton Path
Cross Street
Dao Yang Road
Dumbarton Road
Fat Tsueng Street
Fife Street
Fu Shin Street
Fuk Hing Lane
Fuk Wa Street
Fuk Wah Street
Fuk Wing Street
Hai Tan Street
Hai Wing Road
Hak Po Street
Haven Street
Hawthorn Road
Healthy Street East
Hing Hon Road
Hip Wo Lane
Holly Road
Hollywood Road
Hong Kong University
Hung Fook Street
Hung Kwong Street
Johnston Road
Junction Road
Kam Hong Street
Kat Hing Street
Ki Lung Street
Kim Shin Lane
King Sing Street
Kiu Kiang Street
Kiu Yam Street
Kowloon City Road
Kwong Fuk Road
Lai Chi Kok Road
Lan Fong Road
Lee Garden Road
Leighton Road
Lin Ma Hang Road
Luen Wo Road
Lung To Street
Maidstone Lane
Ma Tau Kok Road
Min Fat Street
Mok Cheong Street
Mui Hing Street
Nan Chang Street
Nelson Street
Nga Tsin Long Road
Pak Sha Road
Pei Ho Street
Po On Road
Pok Man Street
Queen's Road West
Sai On Lane
Shan Kwong Road
Shanghai Street
Shing Wong Street
Sing Woo Road
School Road
Sun Chun Street
Sun Wui Road
Tai Hang Road
Tai Sun Street
Tai Wo Street
Temple Street
Triangle Street
Tsiu Keng
Tsun Yung Street
Tung Chau Street
Tung Lo Wan Road
Wai On Street
Wan Fat Street
Wan Nok Street
Wan On Street
Wing Kwong Street
Wing Lung Street
Wing Yiu Street
Woo Sung Street
Wood Road
Wyndham Street
Yee Kuk Street
Yen Chow Street
Yiu Wa Street

older Ceramic Street Signs
Jordan Road
Lower Albert Road
On Tai Street
Rock Hill Street
Stone Nullah Lane
Wa Ning Lane
West End Path
Wyndham Street

Hi Phil, I haven't had a chance to look around Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan yet, there are a lot around there but I share your concerns, a fair few may already have gone after development.

I can help update the current status of some signs:

Cast Iron Street Signs
Apliu Street X2
Blue Pool Road
Blue Pool Road
*Boundary Street
Broom Road
^Burrows Street
*Cape Collinson Road
*Caroline Hill Road
Castle Peak Road
Cheung Wa Street
Ching Lin Terrace
Chung Hing Street
Connaught Road Central
Cotton Path
Cross Street
Dao Yang Road X2
Dumbarton Road
Fat Tsueng Street
Fife Street
Fu Shin Street
*Fuk Hing Lane
Fuk Wa Street
Fuk Wah Street
Fuk Wing Street
*Hai Tan Street
Hai Wing Road
Hak Po Street
Haven Street
Hawthorn Road
Healthy Street East
*Hing Hon Road
Hip Wo Lane
Holly Road X2
Hollywood Road
Hong Kong University
Hung Fook Street
Hung Kwong Street
^Johnston Road
Junction Road
Kam Hong Street
Kat Hing Street
Ki Lung Street
Kim Shin Lane
King Sing Street
Kiu Kiang Street
*Kiu Yam Street
Kowloon City Road
Kwong Fuk Road
Lai Chi Kok Road
Lan Fong Road
Lee Garden Road
*Leighton Road
Lin Ma Hang Road
Luen Wo Road
Lung To Street
Maidstone Lane
Ma Tau Kok Road
Min Fat Street
Mok Cheong Street
Mui Hing Street
*Nan Chang Street
Nelson Street
Nga Tsin Long Road
Pak Sha Road
Pei Ho Street X4
Po On Road
Pok Man Street
Queen's Road West
Sai On Lane
Shan Kwong Road X2
*Shanghai Street
Shing Wong Street X2
Sing Woo Road
School Road
Sun Chun Street
Sun Wui Road
Tai Hang Road
Tai Sun Street
Tai Wo Street
Temple Street
Triangle Street
Tsiu Keng
Tsun Yung Street << should be Tsun Yuen Street?
*Tung Chau Street
*Tung Lo Wan Road
Wai On Street
Wan Fat Street
Wan Nok Street
Wan On Street
Wing Kwong Street
Wing Lung Street
Wing Yiu Street
Woo Sung Street
Wood Road
Wyndham Street
Yee Kuk Street X2
Yen Chow Street
Yiu Wa Street
older Ceramic Street Signs
*Jordan Road
#Lower Albert Road X2
On Tai Street
Rock Hill Street
$Stone Nullah Lane
Wa Ning Lane
West End Path
#Wyndham Street

* - Possibly removed due to renovation/demolition
^ - Will soon be removed due to redevelopment
# - Ceramic frame with tiles
$ - Steel frame with tiles

 

Many thanks 9A2W3716, that's really useful. Agreed on Burrows Street and Johnston Road in Wan Chai, that building was almost coming down when I walked past there. Yes, should be Tsun Yuen Street in Happy Valley - it is currently covered in scaffolding but I confirmed or discounted all the rest of the Happy Valley ones.

I walked the length of Temple Street yesterday while I was in the area and couldn't see any still there. I'll try and get round the areas with big concentrations of them over the Christmas period.

Wood Road in Wan Chai has four different generations of street sign!

Thanks all, Scott

updated 28 August 2018 :
- one more Hollywood Road sign has appeared at the renovated Central Police Station.
- one more has emerged at Percival Street in Causeway Bay, previously behind an advertising hoarding.
- Tsun Yuen Street in Happy Valley has not survived building renovation, it's now gone after the scaffolding has come down.

I've done quite a lot of work on this and managed to visit 102 of them. I reckon there are a further four more cast iron road signs to check out; all in the closed border area at Sha Tau Kok - can someone help get me in?!

Here's what I have verified:

Iron frame with ceramic tiles for each English letter and Chinese character - Late 19th century to early 20th century

Stone Nullah Lane

 

Cement frame with ceramic tiles for each English letter and Chinese character - Late 19th century to early 20th century

Lower Albert Road x2

Wyndham Street

 

Cement - 1910 to 1930

On Tai Street

Wa Ning Lane

West End Path

 

Cast Iron - 1930s to 1960s

 

Central

Hollywood Road x2

Wyndham Street

 

Sheung Wan

Connaught Road Central

Shing Wong Street x2

 

Kennedy Town

Ching Lin Terrace

Queen's Road West

 

Sai Ying Pun

Sai On Lane

 

The Peak

Lloyd Path

 

Wan Chai

Burrows Street

Cross Street

Johnston Road

King Sing Street

Tai Wo Street

Triangle Street

Wood Road

 

Happy Valley

Blue Pool Road x2

Broom Road

Green Lane

Hawthorn Road

Hip Wo Lane

Holly Road x2

Min Fat Street

Mui Hing Street

Shan Kwong Road x2

Sing Woo Road

 

Causeway Bay

Cotton Path

Haven Street

Lan Fong Road

Lee Garden Road

Pak Sha Road

Percival Street

Sun Wui Road

Tai Hang Road

Yiu Wa Street

 

Tai Hang

Sun Chun Street

 

North Point

Healthy Street East

Kam Hong Street

 

Chai Wan

Cape Collinson Road (in a private collection)

 

Sham Shui Po

Apliu Street x2 (one is in a shop)

Fuk Wa Street

Ki Lung Street

Kiu Kiang Street

Lai Chi Kok Road

Pei Ho Street x4

Yee Kuk Street x2

Yen Chow Street

 

Cheung Sha Wan

Castle Peak Road

Cheung Wah Street

Fat Tsueng Street

Fuk Wah Street

Fuk Wing Street

Kim Shin Lane

Po On Road

Tonkin Street

Wing Lung Street

 

Tai Kok Tsui

Wai On Street

 

Mong Kok

Fife Street

Hak Po Street

Nelson Street

 

Jordan

Woo Sung Street

 

To Kwa Wan

Hung Fook Street

Hung Kwong Street x2

Kowloon City Road

Lung To Street

Ma Tau Kok Road

Maidstone Lane

Mok Cheong Street

Wan Fat Street

Wan Lok Street

Wan On Street

Wing Kwong Street

Wing Yiu Street

 

Kowloon City

Dumbarton Road

Junction Road

Nga Tsin Long Road

 

Tai Po

Fu Shin Street

Kwong Fuk Road

 

Fanling

Luen Wo Road

Dao Yang Road

Hai Wing Road x2

 

Cheung Chau

School Road

Tai Sun Street

 

Lantau

Kat Hing Street

and here is what I have left to check:

Sha Tau Kok, closed border area

Car Park Street

Lin Ma Hang Road

San Lau Road x2

I contacted the URA regarding the missing Kiu Yam St sign and got this reponse:

Please be advised that the street name plate mentioned in your email is within the purview of the Highways Department while it is being temporarily kept by the contractor of the URA’s Kowloon Road / Kiu Yam Street demand-led project. 

Should you wish to enquire the arrangement of the street name plate concerned, you may approach the relevant government department for assistance.

So it looks as though they all fall under the responsibility of the Highways Dept.

Thanks Phil, good to know that. Let's hope the Kiu Yam Street one gets remounted when the development there is completed - at least they know where it is and it hasn't been thrown away.

I've completed checking out many more over the last few days, now only 5 left to check plus the 4 that are in the closed border area at Sha Tau Kok.