history

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Then and Now – Grey Institute

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 instigation of John Paterson, one of Port Elizabeth's the first Town Councillors, the then municipality took over vacant land on top of the hill opposite the Donkin Reserve and the establishment of a grammar school.  A Mr Archibald was commissioned to prepare…

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27/02/2014
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Outspan MOTH Shellhole

The Memorable Order of the Tin Hats, or MOTH, was founded on 7 May 1927.  The idea of the Order back then (and still today) is to help fellow comrades in need, either financially or physically and to also remember all servicemen who has answered the Sunset Call, both in war and during piece time.  The emblem of the MOTH includes the crossed rifles of sacrifice, surrounded by 12 stars that signify Mutual Help, the whole within an unending circle,…

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24/01/2014
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Then and Now – Donkin Reserve

The Donkin Reserve is truly one of Port Elizabeth's iconic attractions.  The pyramid (Donkin Memorial) was commissioned by Sir Rufane Donkin in August 1820 as a monument to his wife Lady Elizabeth after whom he named the town.  Sit Rufane was the Acting Governor of the Cape Colony and came to Algoa Bay to oversee the landing of the British Settlers  The Hill Lighthouse was brought into use on 1 June 1861 with Charles Hammond as the first lighthouse keeper.  The cottage adjoining…

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20/01/2014
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Brookes Hill Battery Observation Post

During the Second World War a series of harbour defences were built around Port Elizabeth to keep a lookout for approaching enemy ships, planes and submarines.  The harbour defences consisted of three Forward Observation Posts (FOP) at Schoenmakerskop, Cape Recife and Bluewater Bay along with the Algoa Battery building in Humewood and the Battery Observation Post on Brookes Hill overlooking Happy Valley.  I started out my exploration of these old buildings because they are the sites of a series of Geocaches, but the history…

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13/01/2014
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Discovering PE’s oldest dam – Frames Dam

Its always nice to discover something or somewhere new.  In this case it was something old.  A quick geocache outing during lunch time took me into the Shark River Valley in Humewood and to the old Frames Reservoir.  In the mid 1800's the fledgling town of Port Elizabeth was having water problems.  As a stop-gap measure, a Mr Pinchin and Mr Clement Wall Frames, nephew of William Brooksby Frames, negotiated with the Town Council to supply water to the lower parts…

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09/12/2013
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The remains of Stuart Township

 I think most of the regular PE Daily Photo readers know by now that I am an addicted Geocacher.  One of my own caches is situated close to a old footbridge over the narrow gauge railway line next to the South End Cemetery.  Between the cemetery and the railway line used to be a residential area with only a few remains still visible today.  After publishing the cache one of my fellow cachers sent me a link containing some information…

3 Comments
10/10/2013
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The Port Elizabeth St Georges Club

In 1866 a group of Port Elizabeth businessmen decided to start a social club where they could come together after work for a drink while playing snooker and billiards.  The Port Elizabeth Club was born.  The club originally started in Western Road opposite the Trinder Vlei and then moved to the present location when membership started to grow too big for the premises.  The present building was completed in 1903.  The club's facilities were quite primitive back then compared to modern standards.  Gas and oil lamps and…

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12/08/2013
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The history of the Pearson Conservatory fountain

The Pearson Conservatory was originally built in 1882 and restored to its former glory between 2009 and 2011.  The centre piece of the conservatory is an ornamental fountain made by Andrew Handyside at the Duke Street Foundry "Britannia Iron Works" in Derby in the UK around the same year.  The Britannia Foundry's work was well known for its fine quality so these fountains can be found all over the globe.  This particular design of fountain is listed as Design Number…

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10/08/2013
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The Cross of Prester John

The space between the Port Elizabeth City Hall, Old Post Office Building and the Feather Market Centre in Fleming Square and it contains a monument which is the only of its kind in the world.  The Prester John Cross was unveiled in 1986 by the Portuguese Ambassador and is dedicated to the mythical king-priest, Prester John, and the Portuguese explorers who discovered South Africa. It was the quest for Prester John as a Christian ally that led to expeditions to reach him…

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08/08/2013
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History of Walmer

I wonder how many people know that Walmer used to be a town on its own before becoming part of Port Elizabeth.  In 1815 the farm Welbedacht, covered an area just under 14 square miles, to the south west of Port Elizabeth was granted to AM Muller.  When Muller died in 1845 his farm was inherited by his 8 sons who, true to form, could not decide on how to sub divide the property.  As a result the farm was sold and…

15 Comments
07/07/2013