Travel Blog

Uncategorized

The Art Museum.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, formerly the King George VI Art Gallery, was built on Municipal land in the 19650s. It was on a lease which has since lapsed, and control of the Gallery now falls under the Municipality.It was opened on 22 June 1956 and renamed in December 2002, and over the years, has amassed an impessive collection of art, including many historic pieces. The collections are housed in two buildings framing the entrance to St George's Park…

Comments Off on The Art Museum.
27/02/2008
Uncategorized

Crossroads

This is the St Philips Anglican Church in Richmond Hill, with a commanding view of the sea from the brow of the hill. As you can see from the sign, it is directly opposite Richmond Park. In the early days of PE, this hill used to be a location covered with traditional M'Fengu beehive straw huts, and this church served the harbour workers and others who lived here. The park was originally their graveyard.

6 Comments
24/02/2008
Uncategorized

PEs new hot spot

Welcome to Ginger, at the Beach Hotel. This beautiful and trendy new spot is great place for a smart meal, but there is also a more relaxed terrace, overlooking Shark Rock Pier. I was lucky enough to have a great lunch there this week, for a friend's birthday. The sea was the most amazing clear azure blue, the white umbrellas kept us relatively cool considering what a scorcher of a day it was, and the food and service were superb.…

1 Comment
23/02/2008
Uncategorized

Moon + Shadow

I'm sure blogland is going to be awash with images of the latest total eclipse of the moon.... but anyway here is a sepia shot of how it looked in PE at 3.48 am on Thursday.

9 Comments
22/02/2008
Uncategorized

dirty details.

Here is a close up look at Ken Denton's shameful legacy. Yesterday we showed you the original historic documents relating to these houses. This is how they look today.And the closer you get, the worse it is. These once proud properties are mostly rented out to illegal immigrants, and the decorative woodwork is apparently being systematically removed for firewood.The dark circle next to the door in the bottom left picture shows the place where the brass plaque declaring this a…

4 Comments
21/02/2008
Uncategorized

In the beginning…….

Here are 3 fascinating pages found amongst the collection of historic documents at our main library.They are from the original fragile land books of the early 1800s in which all grants of land by the Colonial Government to the city were detailed. They are hand written in flowing copperplate, and accompanied by hand drawn maps by the Surveyor, to detail the exact positions of the properties. These are for the Donkin Terrace that we are currently featuring, and as you…

3 Comments
20/02/2008
Uncategorized

A dark cloud hangs over the Donkin

One of the iconic PE landmarks is this terrace in Donkin Hill, built in the early 1800's. This photo was taken recently. Below is one taken several years ago, so that you can compare, and see what has become of these stunning old houses.Sadly, they have become dilapidated and are deteriorating daily.This terrace is one of the earliest in Port Elizabeth, and when people think of this town, is one of the defining images that comes to mind. It is…

4 Comments
19/02/2008
Uncategorized

View from the Donkin Reserve

This is a different view of the Donkin reserve looking towards the Hill Presbetarian Church and the historical homes on the Donkin Terrace.We plan to do a series on what is happening to this historical area that is such an integral part of the Port Elizabeth heritage.

3 Comments
18/02/2008
Uncategorized

Reflections of history

Sometimes when we go for early morning walks to catch the sunrise over Algoa Bay, we see more than we bargained for. Here is a shot of the historical suburb of Richmond Hill relected in the windows of the Eric Tindale building.On top of the hill we have a lovely quiet suburb, but a short walk below us is the city centre. Not too busy at 7:00 in the morning.

5 Comments
17/02/2008