Ritz Theatre's Neighbours (1954)

Fri, 07/07/2017 - 12:23

This 1954 photo was likely taken from the roof of the tea restaurant just south of Ritz Theatre, and was looking north along Nathan Road, or perhaps from a vantage further south .  One year after its opening, Ritz still looked new.

Two blocks up on the left could be the roof of Broadway Theatre, and the only building taller than the shop houses was the fairly new bank building on Argyle Street corner.  The distant ridgeline is how I remember it, and I think it is still there, just that high rises now make the sight impossible to repeat.

And those wooden shops on the right, they must be the first generation Ladies Market.

About Ritz Theatre - https://gwulo.com/node/3029#14/22.3217/114.1588/Map_by_ESRI-Markers/100

Photo source - uwants.com - Post #4083  by user 4rex - http://www.uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=14833421&page=273#pid229791330

  

Date picture taken
1954
Author(s)

Comments

Note that people were boarding the bus on the left from the back door in the 1950s. Later on in the 60s and 70s newer models arrived and people were boarding from the front door and getting off from the back door. There were stairs going up to the second floor at the back for both models. Is the 1950s bus model called "routemaster"? I am not sure.

The mid-1950s saw a rapid increase in motor vehicles on the roads. To alleviate the lack of car parks and kerb-side parking for vehicles,  initiatives were introduced to allow for the parking of motor vehicles in designated areas in the centre of certain sections of major thoroughfares. Photos on Gwulo e.g. Hennessy Road from this era also show these short-lived parking arrangements. 

Apparently the bus model in the picture is the oldest ones introduced in 1949 called "daimler A" with only one back door. Later models called "daimler C" have 2 doors as shown in following picture with 2 doors where you can either get on or get off.

https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh/丹拿CVG5巴士

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First double decker introduced in 1949 called daimler A. It has only one opening at the back serving both as entrance and exit. It has no door. One can jump off before the bus has fully stopped. Passengers can go up to the second floor from there. It has a Cantonese nickname 「烏嘴狗」 (dog with black mouth). Before 1949, all buses are single deckers.

daimler A

Daimler A first double decker introduced in 1949
daimler A first double decker introduced in 1949, by simtang

It looks very similar to the Routemaster produced between 1954 and 1968 which was in service in the UK

routemaster-1954-1968-2
outemaster-1954-1968-2, by simtang

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routemaster-1954-1968
outemaster-1954-1968, by simtang

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daimler C

Two door model with sliding doors where one can get  on or get off. Of course the doors are operated manually by the fare collectors. Usually there are 3 of them who go around to sell tickets. Later in the 1970s, new models were introduced with 3 yellow stripes in front which means only one fare collector sitting in the middle section. The doors are automatic with characters on the sides marked clearly as entrance (front) or exit (back or middle)

https://new.gwulo.com/media/42403

daimier c
daimier c, by simtang