The Colchester area east of Port Elizabeth was a very busy spot in the mid 1800 and early 1900s, as it had the only pont over the Sundays River on the main road between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. The original pont was washed away in 1874 and a second one in 1875. A bridge was commissioned in 1884 and opened on 5th March 1895. It was called the Mackay Bidge, in honour of John Mackay who's efforts resulted in its…
Most people know South End as the area in Port Elizabeth just above the harbour where the main fire station, Humewood Police Station, South End Cemetery and lots of townhouses is. A lot of younger residence of Port Elizabeth probably don't know the history of the area.South End used to be a very cosmopolitan community. People lived happily together in cultural diversity with blacks, whites, coloureds, Indians, Chinese, Jews, Greeks and many others united in their attitude towards family values, faith and…
When was the last time you've passed by the Donkin Reserve after dark. Well I did last week and snapped this pic of the Grey Institute. For those who don't know the history of the building, here it is. In the mid 1800's there was a boom happening in Port Elizabeth. It was during this time that Sir George Grey, Governor of the Cape from 1854-61, played a leading role in the establishment of educational institutes throughout the colony. At the…
"Never before in its history has this port suffered under such overwhelming disaster as we record today. On Sunday morning some 38 craft rode at anchor under the leaden sky. Heavy rains had fallen and the wind gradually rose until, as the shadows of evening hid the shipping from view, a fresh gale was blowing in from the south-east, which, as the midnight hour was reached, had developed in to a hurricane. As the turmoil of wind and wave continued,…
Making my rounds through Uitenhage on a Geocaching expedition a week or so ago I got to visit the MOTH garden for the first time. The garden is where the grave of Joseph Crow is located.Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Petrus Hendrik Crowe VC (12 January 1826 – 12 April 1876) was the first South African-born recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and…
I swung past the Pearson Conservatory last week while looking for a Geocache in St Georges Park and was happy to see that the fountain inside had a new lick of paint. Whatever they put on it after the Conservatory's renovation started to get ugly. The fountain itself wasn't working but I'm hoping its a case of not being turned on yet after it got painted. The Pearson Conservatory was originally built in 1882 and restored to its former glory between 2009 and…
I was in Richmond Hill for an event a few weeks ago and decided to swing past the old Erica Building for a quick pic. The Erica School for Girls was started in 1884 by Miss Mary Anne van Wyk, who initially gave lessons in the old Erica Hall. After the Anglo Boer War it was decided to build a new school building. The building, designed by architect W White-Cooper and built by HJ Beckett, was opened on 4 November 1903 by…
The last couple of months have been a bit on the dry side and after the previous weekend's rain it seems that the weather has suddenly discovered some more moisture to share with us. Over the last 48 hours we've had some good rains in and around Port Elizabeth with apparently more to come in the next day or so. I know its not the most exciting picture but here is one I snapped while sitting in wet traffic this morning. Wet traffic…
I often wonder how many people have noticed the stone obelisk outside Bayworld in Humewood. The obelisk is called The Prince of Wales Obelisk and was brought to South Africa by the founder of the Eastern Province Herald, John Paterson. It was meant to be placed on the grave of his partner, George Kemp but the Kemp family thought it to be slightly too much and donated it to the city. The City decided to erect it in front of City Hall…
I have done several posts regarding the Port Elizabeth Harbour defenses erected around the city during World War II, but just to recap in case you haven't seen any of them. Before the Second World War the Port Elizabeth Harbour actually had no defense in place except for Fort Frederick which was built in 1799 to guard the original landing place in the early days. In 1942 it was decided to put harbour defenses in place at all South Africa's harbours. In Port…