On visiting the Somerset East Museum recently, I discovered this old overgrown grave yard behind it on the slopes of the Boschberg Mountain. I have a thing for old cemeteries and had a look around. Unfortunately the guy who was going to show us through the museum arrived and cut short my exploration, but next time I'm in town I will definitively head back there for another look.
There are a couple of old and historic post boxes around the country that is still in use. I found this old post box dating from the Victorian era just outside the Somerset East Museum in the Eastern Cape town with the same name.
In July 1829, Dr. William Gill was appointed District Surgeon of the newly founded town and district of Somerset. Upon his death in 1863, he left the main portion of his estate to found and maintain an institution for higher education in the Eastern Cape. His will stipulated that no portion of the estate was to be spend on the purchase or erection of buildings. Consequently, Somerset farmers and townsfolk pledged that they would erect the necessary buildings. Gill College…
An interesting site I found next to the Somerset East Museum was the grave of Ouma (Grandma) Dora Dotyi Jacobs. Ouma Dora was born in May 1880 and was 122 years old when she died in January 2003. At the time she was the oldest living person in the world.She was laid to rest in a special place under the trees next to the museum. To get to her grave one has to walk down a path between the trees…
Just outside the Karoo town of Cookhouse stands a monument in remembrance of the Slachters' Nek Rebellion. The Slachter's Nek Rebellion was a Boer uprising against the British colonial power believed by them to be hostile towards the Afrikaner farmers. The rebellion came to an end on 9 March 1816 when five rebels were hanged in public at Van Aardtspos close to where the monument stands. Four of the nooses broke during the procedure, as the hangman who came to…
One of the main landmarks in Somerset East in the Karoo is the Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk) in the main street (Nojoli Street). The proposal of the local Heemraden to erect a Dutch Reformed Church in 1825, was accompanied by the submission of a design in which Cape Dutch and Gothic architecture were cheerfully blended. The Eastern facade had a Dutch Renaissance tower rising from an impressive thatched nave. The foundation stone was laid in 1830, but the building…
Situated just down the road from the Somerset East Museum in the Karoo town of Somerset East, one will find the Walter Battiss Art Gallery. Anybody involved in the South African art industry would know who Walter Battiss was. Walter Whall Battiss was born in Somerset East on 6 January 1906 (died 20 Aug 1982) and is generally considered as South Africa's foremost abstract painter. From 1938 Battiss paid several visits to Europe where he met various successful poets and…
Spending the weekend in Somerset East a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to explore a town which I didn't know very well. One of the main attractions in Somerset East is the Somerset East Museum, also known as The Old Parsonage Museum. The museum is situated just outside town on the slopes of the Boschberg Mountain .Shortly after the establishment of the town of Somerset, 1825, land on the slopes of the mountain was given to the…
A weekend or two ago we spent the weekend in Somerset East at the guest house of a friend. The Angler and Antelope is situated in the heart of this quaint Karoo town and is truly worthy of its 4 star status. The property consist of a seven room guesthouse as well as a self catering unit called Fisherman's Cottage. A unique feature on the property is the St Francis Culinary Centre which acts as the guest house's lounge, dining…