museums

Uncategorized

Schreiner House in Cradock

Olive Schreiner (24 March 1855 – 11 December 1920) was a world renown South African writer and is best remembered for her novel The Story of an African Farm which has been highly acclaimed ever since its first publication in 1883.  She was born in Wittebergen and grew up Healdtown from the age of six.  Between 1868 and 1870 she lived in Cradock with her brother who was the headmaster of the local school and two other siblings.  Although Schreiner only lived in Cradock for…

Comments Off on Schreiner House in Cradock
09/06/2014
Uncategorized

No 7 Castle Hill historical museum

Sailing into Algoa Bay as one of the 1820 British Settlers, Reverend Francis McCleland would have been standing on deck looking out over the bay towards the beach, little knowing what awaited him in the Cape Colony and how he would influence what would become Port Elizabeth.  Rev McCleland became the colonial chaplain in Port Elizabeth and oversaw the building of St Mary’s Anglican Church (later declared a cathedral) which was completed in 1834. Only a couple of years before,…

2 Comments
29/01/2014
Uncategorized

Jurassic Park at Bayworld

Did I stumble on a long lost valley filled with dinosaurs?  Did somebody finally invent a time machine that allows one to go back to the time of the dinosaurs?  Did I get invited to the set of Jurassic Park 4? No, no and... no.  I visited Bayworld in Port Elizabeth.  Bayworld has an very interesting section by the Snake Park that has life size moving dinosaurs.  Every kid's dream.

Comments Off on Jurassic Park at Bayworld
27/01/2014
Uncategorized

Port Elizabeth Whale skeleton

The Port Elizabeth Museum, which forms part of the Bayworld complex, has a very unique exhibit hanging in the Marine Hall.  It's the skeleton of the last Southern Right Whale to be harpooned in Algoa Bay.  Its the focus piece of a exhibit that covers whales and sharks along with everything associated with them.

Comments Off on Port Elizabeth Whale skeleton
17/01/2014
Uncategorized

Montagu Museum

Montagu op Route 62 in the Klein Karoo het twee fantastiese museum wat besoekers aan die dorp by kan gaan inloer.  Die Montagu Museum is geleë in die ou Sendingkerk wat in 1907 gebou is en konsentreer op die dorp se kultuur-historiese skatte.  Die museum het verskeie uitstallings met die kerk se preekstoel and ander kerk items wat sentraal hieraan is.  'n Belangrike deel van die museum is die medisinale plantnavorsing wat hier plaasvind en ook uitgestal word.  Agter die museum…

2 Comments
22/01/2013
Uncategorized

Old Mission Church rose

The Montagu Museum in the Klein Karoo town of Montagu is housed in the town's Neo-Gothic style Old Mission Church which was built in 1907.  At the end of 2011 we spent 10 days in the town and decided to return at the end of 2012.  After our 2011 visit I did a blog post about the museum so I don't really want to do a similar one this time around.  I did look for a nice angle to photograph the building…

3 Comments
08/01/2013
Uncategorized

Dias Museum

Daai dag in 1488 toe Bartolomeu Dias in 'n storm om die Kaap gevaar and kort daarna in wat vandag Mosselbaai is geland het, sou hy seker nooit kon raai dat op daardie selfde plek vandag 'n museum sou staan wat sy naam dra nie.  Die Dias Museum kompleks het 'n fantastiese verskeindenheid van attraksies en sluit 'n skulpiesmuseum, die Munrohoekhuisies, die oorspronklike varswaterfontein waar Dias se matrose water geskep het om aan boort te neem en die Poskantoorboom in.  Die Poskantoorboom is 'n…

Comments Off on Dias Museum
04/08/2012
Uncategorized

Joubert House

Most people probably find town museums quite boring, but I love what they have to offer.  Its usually the best place to learn more about a town's history and there is always something, usually more than one thing, new to discover in these museums.  One such small town museum which I have discovered is Joubert House in the Klein Karoo town of Montagu.  My timing wasn't the best and I walked into the museum about 20 minuted before closing time…

4 Comments
04/07/2012
Uncategorized

South African Museum

I'm a museum kinda guy.  There is always something new to discover even if you have been to it so many times before.  My favorite museum to go to is the South African Museum in Cape Town.  Its the oldest museum in sub-Saharan Africa and was established in 1825 by Lord Charles Somerset.  It is both a research and educational institution and offers collections of natural history and anthropological objects that document all forms of life - living and extinct - from…

3 Comments
30/05/2012
Uncategorized

Die Uilhuis in Nieu-Bethesda

Suid-Afrika is vol van klein dorpies met interessante verhale en plekke om te ontdek, maar een van die wat baie hoog op enige iemand se lys behoort te wees is die Uilhuis in die Karoodorp Nieu-Bethesda.  Nieu-Bethesda lê so 50km noord van Graaff-Reinet en is in 1838 deur Charles Murray, 'n Nederduitse Gereformeerde dominee van Graaff-Reinet, gestig.  Met die stigting van die dorp het hy gesê, "En laten wy deze plaats nu Bethesda noemen" vanwee die vrugbaarheid van die plek en die aanwesigheid…

Comments Off on Die Uilhuis in Nieu-Bethesda
29/05/2012