Cornwall Street - Now and Then

After recently covering The Angel Strikes Again, I thought a modern day comparison for the Cornwall Street shots might be interesting. It's a good way of showing just how cluttered Hong Kong is these days compared to back in the 1960s before mass redevelopment took hold (and never let go).

This initial shot shows the view looking towards Waterloo Road and Baptist Hospital from just near to the Cornwall Street Children's Playground. The building in the background is the original block of Baptist Hospital that was demolished just recently (at the end of 2025). The multi-port hydrant was part of the emergency infrastructure for Kai Tak airport in case of a crash in the vicinity. The hill on the left hand side is where the original Baptist College and sports ground were located, and just visible in the background, barely discernable, is the further hill where Broadcast Drive is located. Let's just say there have been some changes.

In my lower image above (taken on 7th May 2026), you can see the sole remaining item from the original film capture is the multi-port fire hydrant. As mentioned, the original block (later renamed Block A) of the Baptist Hospital has now gone. The slope contained the Baptist College is now taken up by more buildings belonging to what is now called Baptist University. Notice that the hydrant is still at the edge of the pavement, however, there is now a second kerb further to the left and the space inbetween is filled with planters and trees. This is the same along this whole stretch of road. Perhaps the biggest change though is the flyover above Waterloo Road which allows traffic to skip the lights at the intersections with Cornwall Street and Junction Road.

Here's the view looking the other way. The current development here is more obvious because there is now a row of mid-rise apartment buildings along the opposite side of the road in the distance. A comparison shot is underneath. You can just make out the old property located at #2 Cornwall Street that was replaced by the rather unsubtle Mormon Church building. I do like the fact that the current view has a lot of trees though. You can see in the lower image where the extended section of the pavement, filled withtaxis in the film capture, now has trees and other plants.