history

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Places of Worship #6

Part of Richmond Hill was originally known as "The Location for Native Strangers" and was set aside in 1855 for the Khoi San and Mfengu workers who mostly worked on loading and unloading the ships at the fast growing Port. (Yup, I’m afraid the British Colonial Government established Apartheid long before the Nats actually gave it a name…..)The London Missionary Society was granted the land, and set up a Chapel for these workers. They also allocated plots and rough houses…

7 Comments
30/12/2007
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Misty morning in the Graveyard

This morning we woke to a shroud of mist. This usually means that the day will be a scorcher (in fact we have been warned to expect a 3 day heat wave with temperatures going up to 35 degrees C!) so we took the opportunity for a stroll before it warmed up too much. This old graveyard on Russell road is one of our favourite spots, there always seem to be opportunities to get moody shots, and this morning was…

5 Comments
29/12/2007
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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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Award and Red Location Museum

Ok, this just wouldn't be a city daily blog if I didn't show you this morning's newspaper headline.....I mean that is quite an achievement for a town whose nickname was, until recently, the ghost on the coast!In the 50s and 60s PE developed as the hub of the SA motor industry (very punny),but in the late 70s many of the motor manufacturers and parts manufactures relocated, and the city went through a terrible economic depression. When we came here to…

3 Comments
11/12/2007
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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
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Urban Renewal

All cities go through cycles of growth and decay, and the centre of Port Elizabeth is no exception. Established in 1820, she grew rapidly and a bit haphazardly at first, to become, by the early 1900s, the South African port with the biggest exports. This was mainly because the diamond industry in Kimberley, and the Ostrich feather and mohair industries were all in their heyday, and used PE to export their goods.But as these waned, she was overtaken by other…

2 Comments
21/11/2007
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The old Post Office

The clock on the old Post Office building. Time has stood still here for a while, and the building is sadly neglected, one of many owned by an Irish property tycoon who has bought up many of the historic gems in Port Elizabeth, and let them go to rack and ruin. It is very sad.

7 Comments
16/11/2007