Gresson Street (Chinese: 機利臣街) is a street in the Wan Chai area of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Queen's Road East (south) to Johnston Road (north).
 Southern end of Gresson Street, viewed from Queen's Road East. | |
| Native name | 機利臣街 (Chinese) |
|---|---|
| Location | Wan Chai, Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22°16′35″N 114°10′11″E / 22.27650°N 114.16984°E |
| North end | Queen's Road East |
| Gresson Street | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stalls of Gresson Street open market. | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 機利臣街 | ||||||
| |||||||
Market
editThe open market of Gresson Street is part of the Wan Chai Heritage Trail. The market began in the 1950s. Stalls sell wet and dry goods.[1]
History
editGresson Street was opened around 1909 on Marine Lots 29 and 30, when the lots were redeveloped by Hongkong Land. The street was named after William Jardine Gresson (1869–1934),[2] a partner of Jardine, Matheson & Co. from 1901 to 1910.[3]
A noted shootout, the "Siege of Gresson Street", took place here on 22 January 1918,[4] as a gang of armed-robbers were trapped while raiding a tenement[5] at No.6 Gresson Street. Four or five policemen and two robbers were shot dead and an additional robber and six policemen were wounded. The Governor, Francis May, a former Captain Superintendent of Police, personally negotiated with the last remaining gang member, but to no avail. When the young man refused to surrender, the Royal Garrison Artillery was used to "bomb" him out.[6][7][8]
See also
edit- Queen's Road East, for a list of lanes connecting Johnston Road and Queen's Road East
References
edit- ^ Wan Chai Heritage Trail flyer. p.2 Archived 15 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Janus Project: William Jardine Gresson entry
- ^ Sinn, Elizabeth (1990). Between east and west: aspects of social and political development in Hong Kong. Centre of Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong. p. 57.
- ^ Notes by Patricia Lim on Gwulo.com website
- ^ Cameron, Nigel (1991). An illustrated history of Hong Kong. Oxford University Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-19-584997-4.
- ^ Lim, Patricia (2011). Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 430–431. ISBN 978-962-209-990-6.
- ^ Historical and statistical abstract of the Colony of Hong Kong, 1841-1930. Noronha & Co., Govt. Printers. 1932. p. 70.
- ^ Grandsons of siege victim visit Force, HK Police 'Offbeat', Issue 795. 23 March 2005
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