London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Nathan Road through the years: from beach and barracks to neon-lit ‘Golden Mile’

Nathan Road through the years: from beach and barracks to neon-lit ‘Golden Mile’

The site of some of Kowloon’s oldest buildings including the graceful Peninsula hotel, the buzzing shopping street remains popular with tourists – and the streetwise sales people that target them

Nathan Road remains one of Hong Kong’s most famous streets thanks to the fact that it is lined with hotels, shops and heritage sites. Stretching 3.6km north from the Kowloon harbourfront in Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po, it also happens to be the oldest road in Kowloon.

Exterior view of 190 Nathan Road, a Grade 3 Heritage Building in Tsim Sha Tsui.


History
The junction of Nathan Road and Gascoigne Road in 1950; on the left is the Alhambra Theatre.


The first part of the road was completed in 1861, soon after the land was ceded to the British colony by the Qing dynasty in 1860. The road began where Middle Road meets Nathan Road today, an area of beach at the time, extending to the junction with modern-day Austin Road.

The original road was lined with colonial-style homes and the Whitfield Barracks, which is now the site of Kowloon Park.

St. Andrew’s Church on Nathan Road photographed in August 1966.


The oldest Anglican church in Kowloon, St Andrew’s, was completed in 1906 and is still there. Next door to the church is a building built in 1902 with donations from Sir Robert Ho Tung that at one time housed the former Kowloon British School, the first school for expatriates in the city. The school moved to Ho Man Tin in 1937 and was renamed King George V School in 1948. The building is now the Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Nearby, at 218 Nathan Road, is the spot where Bruce Lee once lived in the 1940s and 1950s. The residential building is long gone, and it is now the site of a shopping centre.

Bruce Lee and the Shamrock Hotel in the 1950s. Shamrock Hotel, which opened in 1952, is at 223 Nathan Road and was opposite to Bruce Lee’s residence (2/F, 218 Nathan Road) in the 1950s. The rooftop restaurant of the Shamrock was a popular place for Lee’s family to enjoy their tea.


Another heritage building on Nathan Road is the Peninsula Hong Kong, built by Iraqi Jewish brothers Ellis and Elly Kadoorie, and officially opened on December 11, 1928. It was billed as the “finest hotel east of the Suez” and nicknamed the “Grande Dame” by locals and expats alike.

Over the middle part of the 20th century, the street also became studded with theatres, which often did dual duty as cinemas and venues for live entertainment.

In the 50s and 60s, large residential buildings went up in Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui, which over time have become filled with myriad small hotels and businesses. One such, Mirador Mansions, was famous for its huge concentration of tailors.

One road – so many names
Nathan Road in late 2012, showing why it is known as one of the most neon-lit streets in the world.


Nathan Road was originally named Robinson Road after Hong Kong’s fifth governor, Sir Hercules Robinson. However, there was some confusion between this Robinson Road and the one on Hong Kong Island, once that road was finished. The name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909 after the 13th governor of Hong Kong, Sir Matthew Nathan, who served the city between 1904 and 1907.

In 1908, Nathan Road was extended to Waterloo Road. Then the section between Gascoigne Road and Argyle Street, was renamed from Coronation Road to Nathan Road in 1926.

The junction of Nathan Road and Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei.


Nathan Road was known as “the Golden Mile” in post World War II Hong Kong. Now the only trace of that name having been a thing is its incorporation into the name of the Holiday Inn at 50 Nathan Road.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×