I love this wonderfully maintained old building which is just round the corner from our house. It was a gracious mansion at one time, but is now used as offices. This kind of decorative detail always reminds me of cake icing!
Because of our generally pleasant climate, and the geography of Port Elizabeth which has quite steep hilly areas right next to the beachfront, offering commanding views across the bay, most of our Restaurants and Cafes along there have outside patios as well as indoor seating. There are few things more relaxing than enjoying a meal in the fresh air, with a sea breeze playing around you, and a view of the ships coming into the harbour to be off-loaded. This…
A gracious old building, completed in 1901, and home to a wonderful collection of historic books, documents and photos, dating back to the very beginning of the city's establishment.
The other day the following comment arrived on our introductory post to this blog:OH MY, OH MY I WAS SEARCHING FOR THE NEW NAME OF PE AND FOUND YOUR SITE. I WAS BORN IN UITENHAGE AND LIVED IN PE UNTIL EARLY 20'S. MY PARENT'S HOME IS NOW A NATIONAL MONUMENT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE ADDRESS IS 49 HAVELOCK STREET, PE. DO YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOS. I HEARD FROM A COUSIN THAT THE SITE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO BOUTIQUES ETC.…
Less than a week to go, and the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas is in full swing. Even little sidewalk cafes are getting in the mood.... this one is in Belmont Terrace near Fort Frederick, which we will show you soon.
There are very few narrow guage steam trains still in operation around the world. One of them is the Apple Express, which runs from PE to Thornhill and back over weekends. It is a great trip giving one a leisurely view of the surroundling countryside, from a perspective you don't usually see.One of the highlights is the opportunity to walk across the railway bridge over the van Standens River GorgeThis picture of Granny Smith was taken at Loerie, during the…
Every year, on the Public Holiday we have in South Africa on 16th December, the City Council throws a party on the beachfront, complete with firework display. It is the official "Opening of the Season" to celebrate summer and welcome holiday visitors to our city. For the past 30 years that we have lived here, we have studiously avoided it, because of the crowds, parking and traffic issues etc. We sometimes went to high viewpoints and saw a bit of…
The Hill Presbyterian Church, Cnr Parliament St and Belmont TerraceThis is a wonderful building, completed in 1865, with such intricate detail all over, that 1 photo would not have done it justice. So here is a montage to show it in its setting, on the brow of the hill overlooking the bay, and to show some of the craftsmanship in the details.
The delightful Cora Terrace, dating back to 1830 and the earliest terrace built in Port Elizabeth. The terrace is named after Cora Henderson, daughter of Henry Henderson who built it. He was murdered in 1834.
At the beachfront, even the canine tourists are well catered for. This was spotted on the edge of the beach, in front of a popular beachfront (human) watering hole!