This pretty little mosque is one of the very old buildings in the inner City. These narrow streets run down from the main road (Govan Mbeki Ave) towards the sea, and Strand Street 2 blocks down, which in the old days was on the beach. Then land was reclained for the harbour and railways, and in the 70s a huge freeway built above strand street. Many of the original buildings from the 1820s and 1830s were replaced with ugly modern…
Another view of the ruins of St Peters Church in South End. In order to stop the displaced members of the congregation returning to worship there, after the forced removal of the South End residents, the apartheid government demolished the church. Though there are a lot of townhouse developments around the St Peters, the remains of the church will be retained as a testimony to past injustices.
Today, as promised last week, here is a glimpse of the Edwards Memorial Church, which overlooks the graveyard that started this whole saga. If you want to follow the Richmond Hill story chronologically, hop back to that post, and then read the post on the Synagogue, where the connection between the different elements of the next few posts is set out. Then skip out the New Years Eve and New Year posts, and begin again with the Red Location post,…
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…
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…
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.
This is the Greek Church in Parsons Hill. PE has a close knit Greek community, many of whom keep close ties to the traditions of their motherland, even after several generations here. This beautiful complex houses, amongst other things, their church, as well as the Hellenic Hall where functions are held.