The stretch of seafront known as Collyer Quay resulted from land reclamation works carried out in the 1860s to allow for the erection of office buildings and godowns along the quayside. Prominent buildings lining the busy waterfront in the mid 1970s included: Change Alley Aerial Plaza (second from left), erected in 1970 with its futuristic revolving tower; the 15-storey Shell House (third room left), completed in 1960 to house the oil firm’s employees; and the Maritime Building with its classical facade and tower (right), which was unveiled in 1925 as the Union Building to serve as the office premises of the Union Insurance Society of Canton. In the distance stood the 30-storey United Overseas Bank Building, the tallest landmark in the city centre when it was completed in 1974 (centre background). Along the shoreline was Clifford Pier (right foreground), opened in 1933 and named after Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, Governor of the Straits Settlements (1927-1929).
