Two rounds of reclamation ago, the Star Ferry pier was at the junction of Connaught Road and Ice House Street. Here's how it looked when it opened in 1912:
It was a popular subject, so we've built up a sequence of 30+ photos showing it through to the 1950s. Let's see how it changed over the years.
Change #1 - Dome-topped clock tower added, 19??
This view is cropped from a larger photo, which shows the Central Fire Station under construction. That dates the photo to around 1925.
Change #2 - Dome removed from clock tower, 19??
We've got a couple of photos where the railings are still in place, but the dome has gone from the top of the clock tower. They're just dated to the 1920s, so there's a small chance the clock tower was flat-topped first and then had the dome added. But given that the later photos definitely show a flat-topped tower, I think this is the right order.
Change #3 - Railings removed, vertical signboards added with "Kowloon Ferry" in black text on white background, 19??
I can imagine the branding consultants telling them they needed to keep up with the times, and go with cleaner, more modern look!
The clock face looks different from the earlier photos, so I wonder if the clock was changed too?
This photo was taken by photographer Harrison Forman, which dates the photo to 1940-1.
Change #4 - Text changed to white on black, Star Ferry added, 194?
Soon after the end of WW2, the text colour was changed and they add The "Star" Ferry Co. Ltd to the existing Kowloon Ferry signs.
This photo was taken in 1954, so not long before the new pier opened at Edinburgh Place in 1957.
You can see the full list of photos that show this pier at: http://gwulo.com/node/7017/photos
As you look down the list, you'll see that our photo sequence has some out of order, especially for the earlier years. There are two ways we can fix that, either by knowing the date when a change was made, or by identifying the correct date a photo was taken. If you can help with either of those, please leave a comment below. Then once we've got the dates confirmed for the changes, we can use them in future to help date other photos.
Regards,
David
Trivia:
If those old photos seem familiar...
... it's because the modern Star Ferry terminal is built to a similar design:
Finally, if you're a Star Ferry fan, here's another sequence of photos showing the next generation pier at Edinburgh Place: http://gwulo.com/node/2537/photos
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Also on Gwulo.com this week:
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