south end

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Then and Now – The South End Fig Tree

The old Fig Tree in South End (across the road on the harbour side from the South End Museum) predates all living memory and is said to be well over 100 years old.  Back in the days pre the removal of everybody and everything from South End due to the implementation of the Group Areas Act, the tree was a popular spot.  Kids climbed up in it's branches, families had picnics in the shade and the older residents used it…

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01/06/2016
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Driving down Heugh Road

For some reason I also loved the view of the Harbour, with the Rudolph Street Mosque in the foreground, as you come down Heugh Road.  I always wanted to take a picture of the view and this morning I set up my camera on the dash and snapped that picture.  So the picture doesn't have the same impact as seeing it first hand but don't you just love the view of the sea and harbour as you come down the…

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28/03/2016
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Then and Now: St Peters Church (ruins)

When the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship was in the PE Harbour a few weeks ago I took a drive to the St Peters Church ruins in South End as it has a great view of the harbour.  It's been a year or two since I've last been there so I took a walk around the ruins and snapped a few pictures.  I found this old picture of St Peters with the Fishermen's Cross in front of it and decided to…

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02/03/2016
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St Peter’s windows

Just imagine what these windows of the St Peter's church ruins would have looked like with stained glass windows in a beautiful historic church compared to this.

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06/02/2016
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PE time lapse

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4XBfA71iA&w=500&h=400]The Video Friday post for today is another time lapse.  It was shot from somewhere in South End looking towards the harbor.  It's only 15 seconds long so no excuses not to watch it.

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11/12/2015
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A stolen grave fence

The very first Geocache I placed was in the historic South End Cemetery.  I found a nice little spot on the gate section of a fence around a grave that dates back to the late 1800's.  Placing this cache was my way of showing other people this historic gem.  On Saturday evening at my birthday event a couple of visiting Johannesburg cachers mentioned that they couldn't find it and that the fence was gone.  I just thought they were looking…

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07/09/2015
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Ancient earthquake fault lines in Port Elizabeth

Have you ever wondered why the road at the bottom of Valley Road is always wet?  Why there is water running over the road even if it hasn't been raining.  Well, here is the answer why.Port Elizabeth isn't really know for it's earth quakes, but that doesn't mean that it's never happened.There are three ancient fault lines in Port Elizabeth where some slight movements can still occur. One of them, the Moregrove Fault, runs along the Port Elizabeth beachfront from…

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03/09/2015
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A bit of history of South End

Most people know South End as the area in Port Elizabeth just above the harbour where the main fire station, Humewood Police Station, South End Cemetery and lots of townhouses is.  A lot of younger residence of Port Elizabeth probably don't know the history of the area.South End used to be a very cosmopolitan community.  People lived happily together in cultural diversity with blacks, whites, coloureds, Indians, Chinese, Jews, Greeks and many others united in their attitude towards family values, faith and…

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23/08/2015
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South End art sculpture

 Most of the art making up Route 67 is located around the Donkin Reserve and the city centre.  There are a couple of installations making up the 67 art pieces of the route that aren't located on the direct walking route though.  One of these is the South End glass sculpture on the island in the parking area next to the South End Museum.  The sculpture commemorates the families that were forcefully removed from the old South End under the Group Areas Act.  The glass…

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22/08/2015
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South Boulevard Cafe

I met a friend and colleague for coffee at South Boulevard Café at the South End Museum the other day.  The museum is situated at the intersection of Beach Road, Walmer Boulevard and the Settlers Freeway.  The coffee shop has seating both inside and out on their first floor verandah which gives one a view of the intersection and harbor beyond.  To some people this wouldn't be the best view around yet I actually enjoyed watching life go by while enjoying a cup of…

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18/08/2015