On a recent guided walk around St Georges Park, our guide told us a very interesting fact about Doncaster Road. Doncaster Road is on the other side of park drive close to the Prince Alfred Guard Memorial. On the day our guide pointed out that not two of the trees lining Doncaster Road are the same. When the trees were planted it was decided to plant different species all the way between Park Drive and Cape Road in the background.…
The Park Drive Bowling Club's clubhouse visible from underneath one of St Georges Park's Wild Fig Trees. The Wild Figs around St Georges is over a hunderd years old and are seriously impressive trees.
Seeing that today is Halloween I wanted to post a scary or Halloween type photo but alas, I haven't done any pictures like that lately. Clearly I need to spend some time doing some creative shots again. I do have a picture of old grave stones in the historic Scottish Cemetery in St Georges Park though so it will have to do. St Mary's Cemetery used to be the only cemetery in Port Elizabeth in the 1820s, but an influx of people…
Is it weird taking a picture of somebody taking a picture? As long as they're not taking one of you taking one of them. Or something like that. This photo is a picture of somebody taking a picture of a pink tree in St Georges Park.
Cricket fans the world over would be familiar with St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth, the oldest test stadium in South Africa. Those same cricket fans would have watched or listened to commentary about games at the stadium and heard the commentators refer to the two ends as the Duck Pond and Park Drive Ends. These days people would think that the Duck Pond End refers to the Duck Pond Pavilion that is on that side of the field, but do they know…
Most people who have been to or driven past St Georges Park know the Cenotaph (war memorial) in front of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum. I wonder though how many people know that one of the figures forming part of the Cenotaph is St George himself, sheathing his sword moments after killing the dragon. St George's dragon slaying story is told as follow on Wikipedia: "...a dragon or crocodile makes its nest at the spring that provides water for the city of "Silene"…
Last weekend I was part of the most informative walking tour of St Georges Park. Photographer and journalist Ivor Markman has done some tremendous research on the park and it's history over the years and in the process not just collected tons of interesting information, but also some very rare photographs. Here he is showing off one of the oldest known pictures of the park while standing on the same spot it was taken way back then.
Tomorrow is the last Sunday of the month which means it's Art in the Park in St Georges Park.
The Pearson Conservatory in St George's Park was opened by Honourable John X Merriman on 12 September 1882 at a cost of £3,800. It is named after Mr HW Pearson, the Mayor of Port Elizabeth at that time.The Eastern Province Herald discribed the conservatory as following in an article the next day. The structure consists of a centre building and two wings. The central building measures 25 feet by 50 feet by 29 feet high to the centre of the skylight. The roof…
The Pearson Conservatory was originally built in 1882 and restored to its former glory between 2009 and 2011. The centre piece of the conservatory is an ornamental fountain made by Andrew Handyside at the Duke Street Foundry "Britannia Iron Works" in Derby in the UK around the same year. The Britannia Foundry's work was well known for its fine quality so these fountains can be found all over the globe. This particular design of fountain is listed as Design Number…