Thanks to Gaston from France, who used to live in PE in the 1950s and early 60s, and who very kindly sent us some of his photos from that era, we will be doing a few Then and Now comparisons in the near future. We start with the Campanile, which we did a whole series on recently.Here it is around 50 years ago..... And as it looked yesterday......As you can see, the pretty old building on the right was demolished…
This is a multi-tasking tower. It is a bell tower, a monument, and a clock tower. This latter function was not working too well until recently, as the clocks had stopped. Because watchmakers are becoming a very rare breed, and maintaining large clocks like this is an expensive business, the City Council battled to sort out the problem. Luckily the funds and expertise finally came together and the clocks are now running like.... well.... clockwork! Here is the mechanism that…
Back at the Campanile, no longer looking outwards, but upwards. We were very lucky to be allowed into the bell tower, so we can share with you views which few people have seen.The Campanile boasts 23 bells, the most in any tower in South Africa (the next one in Gauteng has 10). It is an extremely tight fit up there, even trying to stitch pictures together is impossible, so we can't really show them all, but they are lovely. I…
In showing you so many images of the historic areas and beachfront on this blog, there is a danger that we could give the impression that this is a quaint holiday resort. The truth is that, despite being a delightful place to visit and live, PE is primarily an industrial city, and at the heart of the industries which drive the City's economy is the motor industry. Here, while catching our breath at the top of the Campanile, and looking…
We are still at the top of the Campanile, but looking south today towards Humewood. This freeway is a "monument" to bad town planning and there has been talk of decommisioning it, in favour of renewing the CBD. (Parts of it just hang in space, ending abruptly, because the planners took it for granted that the mosques that were in its path would be demolished, along with the rest of the South End area, in an Apartheid blitz. But spirited…
After climbing the 204 steps to the top of the Campanile, aside from being out of breath, you get a great 360 degree view of the city.This is the Westerly view, looking towards the Donkin Reserve. Prominent Port Elizabeth landmarks, from the left are: the Edward Hotel; the lighthouse, which is no longer in use; the memorial to Elizabeth Donkin (after whom Port Elizabeth is named), wife of Sir Rufane Donkin, who administered the then colony from 1820 to 1821;…
One of a pair of tugs bringing a large container ship into the Harbour. (I was on the other one, it was cool!) They are amazing vessels, they look tiny here, dwarfed by the ship, but in fact they are not that small, and their propellors are interesting because they are multi-directional.In the background, you can see another famous PE landmark, the campanile, a tall brick tower built in 1920 as the centenary monument to the 1820 Settlers.