North Point Ferry Pier (West) [1979- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

North Point Ferry Pier (West) [1979- ]

Date Place completed: 
1979-12-28

Photos that show this place

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The Public Works Report for 1979 refers:

The construction of a second passenger ferry pier at North Point was completed.

Date it started operation was 1979-12-28. It goes to Hunghom and Kowloon city. That means it took over the lines from the north point ferry pier (east) which had been in operation since 1963. And the east pier from now on served Kwun Tong instead. In 2000, First ferry took ove all the ferry lines from YMT ferry.

https://hkferry.fandom.com/zh/wiki/北角_(西)_碼頭

https://hkferry.fandom.com/zh/wiki/北角_(東)_碼頭

 

A picture which shows both piers.

 

east corridor.jpg
east corridor.jpg, by simtang

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The North point to Hunghom line already existed in 1903. From 1903 to 1963, there was a Hunghom pier at Gilles road. Question is where was the corresponding pier at north point.

https://gwulo.com/node/47421

The following 1960 north point map provides the answer at least for the early 1960s. The pier was one block west of this west pier at Tong Shui road.

In 1963, the east pier was built to serve not only hunghom but Kowloon city too.

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1960 north point map.png
1960 north point map.png, by simtang

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That's a very interesting find. Possibly there was no ferry service to Hung Hom (Gillies Ave pier) before WW2 as the invited tender in 1920 called for "Ferry Services between Victoria, Hung Hom, Kowloon City, Saiwanho, and Shaukiwan."

Certainly after the war a ferry service was established. The1963 Proceedings of the HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL refers to the update of the HONG KONG AND YAUMATI FERRY COMPANY (SERVICES) ORDINANCE, 1951 

New from 1963 onwards is:

it is now desired that the Schedule to the Ordinance be varied to provide for the operation by the Company of three ferry services across the harbour, namely, the services between Kowloon City Ferry Pier and North Point Ferry Pier (east berth), between Hung Horn Reclamation (berth No. 1) and North Point Ferry Pier (west berth) and between Tonnochy Road Ferry Pier and Hung Horn Reclamation (berth No. 2);

In the annex  of the 1963 ordinance, details are given for the ferry services and the piers:

(o) North Point Ferry Pier — Kowloon City Ferry Pier.

(p) North Point Ferry Pier — Hung Horn Reclamation.

and

Ferry Piers Frontages

North Point Ferry Pier

East side of the Healthy Street West and the west side of
Tong Shui Road.

So it seems to me that the ferry service started in 1951 at the Tong Shui Road pier you found.

Map West Point Pier (Tong Shui Road) 1956
Map West Point Pier (Tong Shui Road) 1956, by hkms2.0

 The North Point Pier referred to above is probably the new one.

P.S. Couldn't find the 1951 ordinance in full, therefore I don't know exactly how the older pier was named.

In the middle 1980s I used to take the eferry from North Point to Kowloon rather than the cross harbour tunnel; it was less expensive and you could stand and watch the world go by; far more pleasant