Now and then again….

Again, thanks to the old postcards sent to us by John in UK, we are able to compare how PE looked around the 1930s, and how it looks now. This is the promenade on the beachfront.As you can see, the major new feature is the Shark Rock Pier in the background, and of course all the high rise buildings. But missing is all the metal structure on the old slipway, and the bathing houses.

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then and now … the baakens valley

We have received some fascinating photos of old postcards from John, an ex PE resident who now lives in UK. Here is a view of the Baakens Valley taken from Fort Frederick on Friday ... and here is how it looked around the turn of the century....The buildings up on the hill are all new, as the racially integrated South End was demolished by the Apartheid Government in the late 60s. If you want to read more, click on the…

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Then and Now #3

Gaston has been finding more fascinating old photos for us. This is Govan Mbeki Ave as it looked in 1953 ........ (it was the only place in town to go shopping, long before de-centralisation took place)And as it looks now, with the recent development into a pedestrian mall with shaded lock-up trading shelters for the street traders.

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Then and Now #2

Again, many thanks to Gaston from France, who sent some of his pictures, taken when he lived here in the late 50s early 60s, and enabled us to do this comparative series. This is St Augustine's Cathedral, taken in 1960. And here it is this week. As with the Campanile view, I really question whether "progress" has brought around any improvement. The lovely gardens and fountain in front of City Hall, with natural stone paving, has been replaced by a…

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Then and Now #1

Thanks to Gaston from France, who used to live in PE in the 1950s and early 60s, and who very kindly sent us some of his photos from that era, we will be doing a few Then and Now comparisons in the near future. We start with the Campanile, which we did a whole series on recently.Here it is around 50 years ago..... And as it looked yesterday......As you can see, the pretty old building on the right was demolished…

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