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…
This old school building is one of PEs landmarks. Whenever you want to give directions in this area, you just have to say "do you know the Old Erica Building" and 90% of the time, the answer will be yes. It was built in 1903, and housed the Erica School for girls. When they outgrew it and moved across Albany Road to their new home in Mount Croix, it served many purposes, and currently houses the Art School of the…
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…
This little cafe, round the corner from our house, is one of that dying breed of old fashioned family stores, which sell everything. You can't imagine how it all fits into the small space, but no matter what obscure item you ask for (enamelled coffee cup, paraffin lamp, fishing tackle, you name it) they seem to have it in stock.It is in Richmond Hill, and as you can see from the architecture, was built some time in the 1930s. It…
There are so many ways in which numbers are invaluable in a City. House numbers, telephone numbers, dates on buildings, and of course, they are particularly significant on headstones. So much of a City's history can be gleaned from the information on old gravestones, like this one in Russell Road. There were many Irish amongst the early settlers. Many City blogs around the world are participating in this Monthly Theme.Click here to view thumbnails for all participantsAlbuquerque (NM), USA by…
We'll come back to 7 Castle Hill, but today we wanted to share pictures of another very old house in Central which has been maintained in its original state.This is Trinity House, and it is about 30 years newer than 7 Castle Hill, having been built around 1858. It was recently bought by Amanda and Karl Wellmann, who have done a wonderful job of lovingly restoring it, and turning it into a guesthouse.Here you can see one of the bedrooms,…
A peek inside the delightful cobble stoned courtyard of the historic museum at 7 Castle Hill, the oldest home in PE still in existence. It has been beautifully preserved. It was built in the 1820s by Rev Francis McLelland, who was the Minister of the St Marys Church down the hill in market square. The old water pump and coal bin are still there. To the right are the old stables. It is well worth a visit, to get an…
Queen Victoria still watches over parts of her former empire, with her "We are not amused look". This Sicilian marble statue of her, is situated at the entrance to the Main Library, on the North-Western corner of Market Square. It was erected and unveiled in 1903 two years after her death.
There is a row of 3 very lovely street lights in the narrow and historic Cora Terrace (which we featured a while ago.) At that time they were a pretty pale blue. They have recently been painted black. In that post I mentioned that the father of the girl after whom the terrace was named was murdered, in the 1800s, and Kate asked for more details. I am still trying to find more about it Kate, but will let you…
Across the road from the Feather Market Hall, between the City Hall and the Old Post Office in Port Elizabeth is an amazing statue dedicated to the seafarers who searched for Prester John between 1145 and 1645.During the 12th and 13th centuries, Prester John was believed to be the ruler of a vast and powerful empire in the interior of Asia. From the 14th to the 16th century, he was believed to be the king of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in…