city centre

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I love Africa

This lady, walking down the main street in the new pedestrian mall section, is wearing modified traditional clothing. (The modern scarf covering the head and apron replace the wonderful traditional clothing of the rural Xhosa.) These women are incredible, they have the ability and strength to carry huge weights and difficult shapes on their heads while walking along. Potential models should come to them for lessons, I don't know if you have ever tried this, but it is NOT EASY!…

8 Comments
11/02/2008
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Places of Worship # 9

This pretty little mosque is one of the very old buildings in the inner City. These narrow streets run down from the main road (Govan Mbeki Ave) towards the sea, and Strand Street 2 blocks down, which in the old days was on the beach. Then land was reclained for the harbour and railways, and in the 70s a huge freeway built above strand street. Many of the original buildings from the 1820s and 1830s were replaced with ugly modern…

6 Comments
27/01/2008
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Places of Worship # 5

This is St Augustines Catholic Church, just off Market Square in the City Centre. It is built on a steep cliff face on the side of one of the streets leading up the Hill to Central. The foundation stone was laid in 1861, and the steeple completed and the church consecrated in 1866. It became a Cathedral in 1939. In 1897 Frances Livingstone Johnston, a pyromaniac, attempted to set it alight, but fortunately failed. She succeeded in burning two down…

4 Comments
26/12/2007
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The Main Library

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.

5 Comments
22/12/2007
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By Special Request………. 49 Havelock Street

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.…

8 Comments
20/12/2007
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Places of Worship # 4

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.

3 Comments
16/12/2007
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Corner Pub

This is a friendly little pub round the corner from us in Richmond Hill, where the locals hang out, watch sport and generally talk rubbish.... in other words like many pubs the world over! It serves good meals at really affordable prices, and for those of us who don't enjoy hanging out in other people's recycled cigarette smoke, the bonus is that everything on the menu is also available as take aways.

6 Comments
10/12/2007
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another era….

Ok, you are getting a bonus post today because I have been experimenting with altering the picture size, and YAY YIPPEE YAY, thanks to much help from Fenix of Bostonscapes, (who apparently also never sleeps!) it works! So treat this as a sort of TV test pattern......... THANKS FENIX!!!!This lovely old Art Deco building in Central is one of the few old and interesting ones which has not been allowed to fall into disrepair by uncaring landlords, who own many…

8 Comments
04/12/2007
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Bonus Friday Post…

I know this is meant to be A photo A day, (as in 1 each day!) but I just had to pop this extra one in, because things are cooking here today, and tomorrow is the 1st day of the month, which means it is theme day, so tomorrow will be a BRIDGE picture.The SA Proteas Cricket team played the NZ black caps here today, in fact as I am typing this, the match has just ended, with New Zealand…

7 Comments
30/11/2007
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Time is Tight

Remember the other day I showed you the Urban Renewal project going on in our City Centre?Well the grand opening is scheduled for tomorrow night, with an evening street festival, live bands etc. This is how it looked when I went to pay our tax (grrrrrrrr) on Friday. With holes in the street, barricades and mess everywhere.... looks like the builders will have to shake a leg to get it ready in time! The pretty old building in the centre,…

4 Comments
29/11/2007