Studley Avenue and Park Follow Up

Posted: August 15th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Referring to my previous post back in July on the early days of Wayside Park (now Huoshan Park) and its previous designation as Studley Park. It was also mentioned at the time that there was a Studley Avenue in the area too, yet nobody I knew (and I do know the sort of people who would know this sort of thing!) had ever come across a Studley Avenue in Shanghai. So back to the old maps – but with no joy. However, thanks to Tess Johnston of the Old China Hand Press, author of numerous books on Shanghai architecture and all round avid researcher, who tracked it down in the Shanghai Directory for 1938.

Studley Avenue was clearly a small street, if not really a lane – being identified as ‘Baikal Road “near” McGregor Road’ – the use of the term “near” in the old Shanghai directories invariably indicates to me that it was less than a clearly marked road and usually just a lane or small cross street. However, a number of westerners were listed as residing on the street in 1938 and there was also a police post. Studley Avenue was on the southern fringes of the old Jewish Ghetto in Hongkou (Hongkew).

However, it seems that either Studley Avenue has gone in redevelopment or that the lane that was listed as Studley Avenue is now no longer listed as a separate road, even with a new name. Baikal Road is now Huimin Road running east to west and McGregor Road is now Lintong Road running north to south. The Baikal/McGregor junction had been redeveloped on three out of four corners and a stroll along both Baikal and McGregor now reveals a lot of lanes but nothing that stands out as possibly Studley Avenue I’m afraid.

Anyway, posted below some shots of the junction now and also a few glimpses of some of the still decent architecture that exists along Lintong Road – obviously this whole area is being pecked away at so hopefully some proper photographer will get down to these lanes and capture them before they’re “harmonised”.

The Huimin (Baikal)/Lintong (McGregor) junction

Huimin (Baikal) looking west

Lintong (McGregor) looking south

Remaining interesting architectural features on Lintong Road

good quality, but threatened, properties lying back from Lintong on what may have been once referred to as Studley Avenue

The same old story – supposedly preserved properties where the roofs have been damaged allowing for severe internal disrepair and ruin leading ultimately to their being bulldozed.

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