Central

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Port Elizabeth Station

The beautiful old Victorian Railway Station in PE underwent a renovation in the mid 80s. The round painted panels depicting scenes from the city were commissioned, and painted by Bernard Horn. A great restaurant was opened and the Station Restaurant was the in place for a while. They served all sorts of exotic African meats, like Zebra and crocodile! Sadly it went the way of the rest of PEs historic areas, and urban decay set in. Although the building is…

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12/05/2008
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April Theme Day: Water

Next time you turn on a tap and clean drinking water flows out, spare a thought for those who have to pump theirs out of the ground! This old water pump is in the courtyard at 7 Castle Hill, the oldest residence in Port Elizabeth still in existence, now a fascinating Historical Museum.I am sure there will be lots of interesting interpretaions on this month's theme, Here are links to help you pay these participants a visit.Adelaide, Australia by Gordon,…

15 Comments
01/04/2008
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Trinity House

We'll come back to 7 Castle Hill, but today we wanted to share pictures of another very old house in Central which has been maintained in its original state.This is Trinity House, and it is about 30 years newer than 7 Castle Hill, having been built around 1858. It was recently bought by Amanda and Karl Wellmann, who have done a wonderful job of lovingly restoring it, and turning it into a guesthouse.Here you can see one of the bedrooms,…

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28/03/2008
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Courtyard 7 Castle Hill

A peek inside the delightful cobble stoned courtyard of the historic museum at 7 Castle Hill, the oldest home in PE still in existence. It has been beautifully preserved. It was built in the 1820s by Rev Francis McLelland, who was the Minister of the St Marys Church down the hill in market square. The old water pump and coal bin are still there. To the right are the old stables. It is well worth a visit, to get an…

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27/03/2008
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A different view of Donkin Lighthouse

This was taken in Richmond Hill one morning at sunrise, from the road that runs past the proposed block that was halted, which we told you about in Friday's Post. Because of its position on the brow of the Hill on which the first buildings in the city were developed, it is possible to get glimpses of this landmark from many angles.

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25/03/2008
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Lamp Posts #3

There is a row of 3 very lovely street lights in the narrow and historic Cora Terrace (which we featured a while ago.) At that time they were a pretty pale blue. They have recently been painted black. In that post I mentioned that the father of the girl after whom the terrace was named was murdered, in the 1800s, and Kate asked for more details. I am still trying to find more about it Kate, but will let you…

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20/03/2008
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Trinder Square

As you can see in the vintage photo below, in the early days of Central, (mid 1800s) this slight depression at the top of the hill was a small lake, and the residents used to get togged up in all their Victorian Splendour, and have picnics on the banks. It is now a little park.

5 Comments
17/03/2008