Last week the Greatermans building in the city centre burned down in a fire that started in a neighbouring warehouse. This week the fire department was still busy securing the ruins and ensuring that there is not another flare up. It is amazing how, in such a short time, what seems like a strong and lasting structure can be reduced to rubble.
......excuse the pun. We already did a post today on the new wordpress blog, but ironically were unable to upload the bitmap kindly sent sent to us by our friend Louise Eksteen (a noted photographic artist who has offered to supply us with pics.) However, as I am in Capetown and uploading from my cellphone, blogger is behaving delightfully! So here is an image of the fire in Port Elizabeth yesterday, in which the old Greatermans building was burned. In…
It's been a while since I remembered to post one in this series, so I have lost track of what number it is.... this is St Mary's Anglican Church down in the city centre. It has quite a checkered history, as it goes back to the very earliest days of Port Elizabeth. (And it is WAY too fascinating to stop at just 1 photo!)The town began in 1820 when boatloads of British Settlers arrived. Quoting from the historian Redgrave, who…
Continuing our look at PE's eclectic skyline, from the same viewpoint as yesterday's photo, but a bit to the West, you see another iconic landmark which we have featured before, the Donkin Reserve, with its lighthouse and pyramid. You also see a mixture of some of the earliest residences in town, mixed with more modern (30s to 60s) blocks of flats. In the far background, the ugly new post office building, (which blocks many potentially sweeping views of the bay…
One of the things we love about Port Elizabeth is that she has some fascinating eclectic skylines. There are interesting viewpoints around the city where you get to see such a mixture of the elements that make up this town.Standing on a hill in south End, overlooking the ruins of St Peters Church (a reminder of the injustices of our Apartheid past) we see the bay sweeping around in the background, with a bustling modern harbour. And in front of…
This is Govan Mbeki Avenue (named after the father of our current State President) which used to be called Main Street. In fact, long before that, it was divided into 3 sections and the bit between the Town Hall and the bottom of Russell Road was called Queen Street. From Russell Road to Albany Road it was called Princes Street, and from Albany Road to the fork where it became the Grahamston Road, it was called Adderley Street. High rise…
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…
Yup, it's that time of the year, when our trees turn brown. Trees require very cold weather to turn the real rich autumn colours, ours basically go brown, but if you backlight them you can cheat and get an autumn effect. So those of you who have just suffered through a long freezing winter, and are now celebrating the arrival of spring bulbs, bear in mind that the miserable weather is what gives you the best autumn displays! We lose…
This gracious Hotel in Central is still a well run establishment, and the beautiful old building is lovingly cared for. It commands a wonderful view overlooking the Donkin Reserve, with its famous lighthouse and pyramid, and beyond that, the bay.
Early morning walks in the city are fun. There is usually no one about and you have the pavements and streets all to yourself - well almost. This is a view down Russell Road looking towards the Bay.