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Lady Elizabeth Donkin – Then and Now

I wonder how many people who have seen the mosaic art piece on the Donkin Reserve next to the pyramid have noticed that the only known portrait of Lady Elizabeth Donkin has been incorporated into it.Elizabeth Frances néeMarkham was the young wife of Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and died of fever shortly after child birth while Donkin was stationed in the East.  Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of the Very Rev Dr George Markham, dean of York, and the grand-daughter of…

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24/12/2015
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Then and Now – Fort Frederick

Fort Frederick is the oldest building in Port Elizabeth and said to be the first permanent stone structure built by the British in Africa south of the Equator. The fort was built in August 1799 near the mouth of the Baakens River in Algoa Bay to safeguard the fresh water supply and to keep watch for a possible landing of French troops send to assist the Graaff-Reinet rebels during the Napoleonic wars.  The fort was named after Frederick, Duke of York and…

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15/12/2015
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Port Elizabeth icons, new and old

The Donkin Reserve and Route 67 truly are two of Port Elizabeth's iconic attractions.  The one is historic and linked to the very early history of the city while the second brings together all the aspects of the city's cultures, history, peoples and art.  The pyramid is actually called the Donkin Memorial and was built in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin in memory of his late wife after whom he named the town.  Next to it stands the tallest flag…

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14/12/2015
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Donkin Reserve Timelapse

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnQDDeFEcas&w=500&h=400]Today's Video Friday post is another of Duncan Noakes' excellent time lapse videos.  This one is of the iconic Donkin Reserve and the Port Elizabeth harbour beyond as the sun goes down. Stunning!

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04/12/2015
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Aerial video clips of the Donkin and beachfront

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Xe1HtbjlY&w=500&h=400]While looking for a clip to post for this week's Video Friday I found this video on YouTube.  It involves aerial footage shot with a drone and a GoPro of the Donkin Reserve and the beachfront area. How I wish I had the money for a drone and GoPro.  Imagine the excellent footage I would be able to shoot on my travels. 

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09/10/2015
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Donkin lights and structures

All along the Mosaic Steps up onto the Donkin Reserve from Chapel Street there is a series of light structures cut out of metal.  Forming part of the public art along Route 67, the project was a collaboration between student and school pupils with 34 of these telling stories of our past, present and future.  I was looking for a way to take a photo of some of the structures without just photographing them with the Donkin as background and…

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08/10/2015
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Ghostly ghost tour in Port Elizabeth

Over the weekend the local Geocaching community went on a Ghost Walk through Central led by Rose Trehaeven.  The walk was organised by fellow cacher Graham Chrich (better known in caching circles as Plainoldgraham) and he kept those of us who couldn't make it updated via our WhatsApp group with pictures to show us what we were missing.  He took this picture in front of the Grey Institute and as soon as he had posted it one of the other…

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07/10/2015
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Closing the Voting Line chain

Drama Princess closing (or at least trying to) the link between the kids at the end of the Voting Line and the Madiba figure on the Donkin Reserve.  The Voting Line, an art piece by Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel, consist of life-size laser-cut figures simbolising voters as they were seen in the country's first democratic elections in 1994 and forms part of Rouet 67.

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03/10/2015
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Concorde on the Donkin

Anybody seeing the Fish Bird art piece by Dolla Sepata on the Donkin Reserve for the first time would be forgiven if they think it represents a Concorde coming in to land.  The Fish Bird is a very abstract piece representing a combination of fish in the bay and birds on land and is returning to the Donkin to take ownership of this transforming site.

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29/09/2015