Phillip's Tunnel in Hankey

Every little town has its interesting sites to visit, being it historic, natural or man-made.  Often visitors pass through without ever knowing about these places and in most cases they slowly become forgotten to all but a few.  One such site in my opinion is the Phillip's Tunnel in Hankey in the Gamtoos Valley.  There is a sign on the main drag through town but in most cases visitors are heading towards the Baviaanskloof and doesn't even notice it.  The road to the tunnel leads through the town's township, over the Gamtoos River and then past some farmlands.  The turnoff from the dirt road takes one up to the tunnel, a yawning mouth in the hillside.  Don't get me wrong, there isn't a huge amount to see.  But what is there is worth seeing, specially if you are into historic sites.

Hankey was started as a mission station on behalf of the London Missionary Society by Dr John Phillip.  The main purpose was to grow corn and mielies for the mission station at Bethelsdorp as well as to carry out evangelistic work in the valley.  Dr Philip's son, William Philip, came to the mission station in 1841 and during his time there the area experienced a serious water shortage.  The best way to get water from the Gamtoos River to the settlement's farmland was to dig a tunnel through the cliff that stood in-between the two.  A formidable task indeed but not one that put William off in any way.  In 1843 he started the project with the help of Khoi labourers and in just more than a year they completed the 228 meter tunnel.  William drowned in the river just after the official opening of the tunnel which was used for over a century.  These days the tunnel is no longer in use because of irrigation canals criss crossing the valley and but has been declared a national monument.

My Old Fort adventure in Durban

I get to visit Durban once a year during the annual Tourism Indaba but other than stopping in Umhlanga and taking walks on the beachfront, I've never really had an opportunity to explore the city much.  This year I decided to pinch off an hour to explore and discover at least one new place and the choice fell on The Old Fort.  From outside the place didn't look like much but I pressed on and in and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  When the Dutch arrived in the small settlement of Durban in 1842 the British weren't too impressed to see the Dutch flag flying at the Point.  A armed force of a few hundred were sent to the settlement to sort the Dutch out and was surprised by some stern resistance.  After having to retreat back to the camp Dick King set off on his famous overland horse ride to Grahamstown to fetch reinforcements.

The camp didn't really provide the British with much shelter and during a 24-hour truce called to bury the their dead, the British moved quickly to strengthen it.  Sixty wagons was pulled in a circle around the tented camp and a trench dug around the perimeter.  The excavated soil was used to build up a mount in front with parts of the trench and mount still visible today.  During the siege the Boers shot 651 cannon balls and thousands of bullets at the British.  Many of the cannon balls were dug up and reused after having been fired at them by the Brits.

 

. The battle went on for a whole five weeks until it was finally ended with the arrival of two British ships, a schooner called the Conch, and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Southampton, with reinforcements.  Dick King had succeeded.  The Dutch were sent packing as far back as Cowies Hill and the rebellion was over.  The British was back in full control of Natal.

 

The Old Fort was continuously used as barracks until 1897 and today it's an open air museum of sorts.  The old magazine building has been converted into a chapel while aged military veterans live in rooms that used to be the military barracks.  The gardens that can be found through out the fort complex is littered with historical and interesting items, amongst them a bench made from timber of HMS Southampton, a cannon recovered from the wreck of the Grosvener (1782), and plaques commemorating the heroic journeys of John Ross and Dick King.  The South African Heavy Artillery Memorial can also be found in the fort's gardens.

 

Before I knew it my hour was over and I had to get back to what brought me to Durban in the first place.  Perhaps in the future I will get other opportunities to explore the city and expand my knowledge of the city a little more.

Celebrating Youth Day

16 June is National Youth Day in South Africa. 

It is a day on which the country not only remembers the youth of 1976 and the significant role they played in bringing about the freedom South Africa enjoys today, but also celebrating the freedom won and the youth of today.

On this day in 1976, Soweto high school students took to the streets in a peaceful protest against the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a language of instruction in black secondary schools.  The students planned to meet at Orlando Stadium before marching to the regional offices of the Department of Bantu Education, where they intended raising their grievances with the authorities.

 

On the way to the stadium, they were met by the police, who ordered them to end the march and disperse. A violent confrontation ensued, in which students threw stones and police fired shots. News of the events in Soweto soon spread, igniting uprisings around the country in which more than 550 people died.

One of the first to die on this tragic day in 1976 was 13 year old Hector Pieterson.

Sam Nzima, a photographer for The World newspaper in Johannesburg, was in Soweto, covering the riots. His iconic image (seen as part of the Hector Pieterson Memorial in the picture above) of Pieterson’s body being carried by high school student Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister, Antoinette Sithole, running alongside, is a graphic representation of repression under the apartheid regime.

In the early 1990s, the Hector Pieterson Memorial was built on Khumalo Street, not far from where Pieterson was shot. On 16 June 2002, the Hector Pieterson Museum opened on Maseko Street, Orlando West. The museum, dedicated to preserving the memory of the 1976 uprising, is home to a collection of oral testimonies, pictures, audiovisual displays and historical documents relating to the Soweto uprisings. Together with the memorial, it commemorates those who died in the uprisings, and celebrates the students’ role in the struggle for freedom.

Uitenhage War Memorial

I'm fascinated by a lot of things so I won't say that war memorials fascinate me, although I find it very interesting how the war memorial in every town - because yes, just every town has some kind of war memorial - looks different.  Ranging from cenotaphs to historic cannons and massive monuments to small simple objects.  This is the war memorial in Uitenhage containing a list of men from the town who died during the two World Wars.

Kidz Adventures - Exploring PE's history

During the school holidays its always a bit of a challenge to keep bored children busy.  Most parents end up taking them to the movies, for ice cream at Micky D's, playing putt putt and games or one of the party places with jungle gyms and trampolines.  Me? Well, I try to spend at least a day with the Kidz exploring Port Elizabeth or surrounding area for them to get to know the city better.  During the past holiday we headed out to discover some of the city's historic sights along with their friends AB and JB. 

The first stop of the day was the oldest building in Port Elizabeth.  Fort Frederick was built by the British in 1799 to protect Algoa Bay from French invasion but never fired a shot in anger.  In actual fact the fort was the first permanent stone structure built by the British in Africa south of the equator.  The fort is perched on top of the cliffs above the Baakens Valley has a magnificent view of the lower valley and Port Elizabeth Harbour.  The guns on the fort are ship cannons which were placed there symbolically since the original guns were removed.  JB wanted very badly to direct a salvo out to sea but there were no enemy ships in sight.

The next stop on our tour was just a couple of hundred meters down Belmont Terrace.  The Donkin Reserve with its historic lighthouse and pyramid is my favorite historic site in Port Elizabeth.  The Donkin is surrounded by a number of other historic sites and the new Route 67 development has blown new life into the area as an attraction.  The pyramid (Donkin Memorial) was built in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin as a monument to his late wife Lady Elizabeth Donkin after whom he also named the town.  The lighthouse was originally built in 1861 and the old lighthouse keeper's cottage is now a Visitor Information Centre run by Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.  Some of the Route 67 art pieces like the untitled Anton Momberg conversation piece and the Voting line make for great pictures, with or without human subjects.

While walking around the Donkin with the Kidz I noticed their eyes kept going to the lighthouse so I decided it was time to climb.  Entrance to the lighthouse is only R5 per person payable at the NMBT office.  The climb up the lighthouse is done by a few sets of steps and ladders and even though Drama Princess was a bit hesitant at the start they all flew up there like a bunch of monkeys.  The view from the top of the lighthouse is breathtaking all around with the beachfront, harbour, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as well as the surrounding area visible.  The Donkin Lighthouse is well worth the climb.

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From the Donkin we followed the winding Route 67 path down towards the city centre for a visit to the city's historic Public Library.  Stopping briefly for a quick pic with Queen Vic (made of Sicilian marble and erected in 1903 to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee) we headed inside with the Kidz under strict instructions to keep it quiet.  The Kidz were amazed with the library's interior with its balconies and stained glass windows.  They immediately went exploring and found their way up onto the balcony walkway where, not before long, they stood admiring the beautiful windows.  The Public Library was opened in 1902 with the front stone facade built in England before being shipped to Port Elizabeth in numbered block.  I remember how we roamed the library as kids and it was awesome to introduce the Kidz to a place from my childhood memories. 

The last stop of our outing was at St Georges Park to visit the newly restored Pearson Conservatory.  The conservatory is another of the places we roamed around in as kids on Art in the Park Sundays while my mom had her stall there.  Although the inside of the conservatory has changed a bit from how I remember it, its still well worth a visit.  By now I had used up my quota of good behaviour made available to me for the day and the four of them started to get a bit too active for my liking.  With St Georges' play area close by the four set off to play in the park and expend some built up energy before coming back complaining that they were getting hungry.  It just never stops, does it?

Buildings along the Company Gardens

As I have mentioned in my previous post, several Cape Town's most significant historical buildings can be found along the Company Gardens as one walks down Government Avenue.

At the bottom entrance to the Gardens are Church Square and the Slave Lodge.  The Slave Lodge was built in 1679 by the Dutch East India Company and housed thousands of slaves during the time when slavery meant big business for the Cape Colony.   In 1810, after the British had taken over, the building became the Supreme Court and in 1914 was turned into government offices.  In 1966 the Slave Lodge was turned into a museum, paying tribute to the past and containing historical displays on the Cape as well as a collection of antiquities and artefacts from around the world.  Slavery was officially abolished in the Cape in 1838.  The statue was erected in 1920 and is that of  parliamentarian Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr who was recognised for his efforts to have Dutch recognised as a language (on the same footing with English) in the Constitution of 1910.

Probably the most impressive buildings along the Company Gardens are the South African House of Parliament buildings.  Cape Town is South Africa's legislative capital while Pretoria is the administrative capital.  The House of Parliament buildings were  original designed by Charles Freeman who miscalculated the foundations and was replaced.  Constructions was overseen by Henry Greaves and completion in 1885 with the new House of Assembly being designed by Sir Herbert Baker.  Guided tours can be done through the House of Parliament during the week and visitors can also buy tickets to sit in the public gallery during parliamentary sessions certain parts of the year.

Next to the House of Parliament is Tuynhuys, the office of the President.  This beautiful building was originally built in 1700 as a residence for important visitors to the Cape.  It has been used as an official residence by almost all the governors of the Cape - Dutch, Batavian and British - and by State Presidents after the country became a Republic in 1961. 

Towards the top of Government Avenue opposite the South African Museum on Government Avenue is the South African National Gallery.  The National Gallery began with a presentation of some 45 paintings by Thomas Butterworth Bayley in 1871, and since then has grown to one of international stature and houses some of the most beautiful collections of South African, African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art in South Africa.

The Company Gardens

The greenbelt that is the Company Gardens, stretching through urban downtown Cape Town, attracts both locals and visitors in their droves.  People go there to admire the historic buildings, sight see, play in the park, feed the squirrels, read a book, sit in the shade and relax or just to get from the one end to the other.  The Company Gardens were established in 1652 and takes its name from the Dutch East India Company who first started the garden to supply their ships, that plied the spice trade route between Europe and the East Indies via The Cape of Good Hope, of fresh produce.  The gardens were irrigated through a system of open irrigation furrows fed by the area's numerous streams originating on  Table Mountain.

During the late 17th Century the Garden had expanded quite a lot, but after the Dutch East Indian Company went bankrupt it started going backwards and was in ruin by 1795.  During the first British occupancy very little money was put into the Garden and it deteriorated even further.  The Dutch Batavian Republic administration revived the Garden in 1803 and when the British took over again in 1806 they started to build important institutional buildings around the area.  The Gardens themselves were again given to the Governor for his use and in 1848 a portion was released as a public open space.  In 1892 the Municipality took over the Public Garden for the first time the garden was open to all as a right and not a courtesy.  (Sorry for the history lesson)

Some of the significant features of the garden include the oldest cultivated pear tree in South Africa thought to date back to 1652, a rose garden designed and built in 1929, a well dating from 1842, a memorial slave-bell dating back to 1855 and a Japanese theme garden with a stone Japanese lantern donated by the Japanese Ambassador in 1932.

As mentioned earlier in the post, the Company Gardens are home to a few very prominent buildings as well as statues.  The South African National Library is just one of those buildings while there are statues of figures like Cecil John Rhodes, Sir George Grey and Gen Jan Smuts.  In the next post I will tell you a little more about some of the other buildings you will find around the Company Gardens. 

Cape Town War Memorial

As you would know I am always on the lookout for something interesting to photograph, doesn't matter if its natural or historical.  As far as historical attractions go you tend to find some kind of war memorial in just about every town and city around South Africa and Cape Town was no different.  In actual fact I found two right next to each other.  At the top of the Company Gardens just below the South African Museum is the Cape Town War Memorial containing the names of the men from the city that has died in the two world wars.  Right behind it is the Delville Wood Memorial which commemorates the World War 1 Battle of Delville Wood in France, in which a predominantly SA force of more than 3 000 soldiers was reduced to 755 survivors by German forces.

Montagu War Memorial

I've said it before and I will say it again and again and again (every time I find another one).  Just about every town has a war memorial.  Click to see those in Knysna and Mossel Bay which I've blogged about before.  Driving around Montagu I was looking for interesting places and stumbled upon the Montagu War Memorial remembering those from the town who fell during the Anglo Boer War, WWI and WWII.  I'm not a war junkie so I don't know what the gun is called, but I liked the fact that the memorial wasn't just a brick or stone pillar.

Also situated in the memorial garden is a Voortrekker monument that was erected in 1938 to commemorate the Great Trek's centenary year.

South End Museum Heritage Trail

The area of South End in Port Elizabeth used to be a vibrant multi cultural suburb until it was destroyed by the Apartheid Government when its people were displaced in 1965 following the implementation of the Groups Areas Act.  The South End Museum on the corner of Beach Road and Walmer Boulevard is housed in the old Seamans Institute Building and remembers the people and places of South End.  One of the initiatives that they started was the South End Museum Heritage Trail which links a number of historic sites in the area on a self guided (or guided if you prefer it) walk.

Across the road from the museum stands an old Wild Fig tree which is thought to be over 100 years old.  The tree stands next to the then Chase Street and back in the days the kids used to climb the tree while the older people sat in it's shade.  When the people were removed and the buildings in the area demolished, the fear was that the tree would also be chopped down or pushed over by a bulldozer. Luckily this didn't happen.

 

As you continue on the trail you pass two mosques that, due to international pressure on the Apartheid government, weren't demolished along with the other buildings in the area.  The one at the bottom of Walmer Boulavard is the Rudolph Street Mosque (Mosque of Righteousness) which was completed in 1894.

 One of the main attractions on the trail is the St Mary's Cemetery.  St Mary's is one of the oldest cemeteries in Port Elizabeth and a number of the graves belong to some of the original British Settlers that arrived in Algoa Bay in 1820.

 Overlooking the St Mary's Cemetery is the ruins of the St Peter's Anglican Church.  St Peter's was completed in 1877 and even though the congregation of the church were been removed to the other side of the city they still came back to worship in the church to the dismay of the Apartheid government. To stop them from doing so it was decided to demolish the church.

Although there are a couple of other sites on the route, the last one that I am posting about is the remains of the old Walmer Road.  Walmer Road used to be the main road running through South End between the city centre and the suburb of Walmer.  In those days the main hotels and businesses of the area were found along this road. Today only a small section of this old road is still visible at the top of Pier Street and is slowly being overgrown by the grass and other vegetation.

The women of the Donkin Reserve

Today  (9 August 2011) we celebrate National Women's Day here in South Africa.  In recognition of all the women of the world this post contains the symbolism dedicated to women on the Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth.

One of the new art pieces installed on the Donkin Reserve is a conversation piece by renowned sculpture Anton Momberg.  The sculpture is a dedication to all the women that have contributed and are contributing to the city.  She faces the pyramid towards the rising sun and offers a chair on the "Balcony of the City" to the international stage. 

The pyramid itself is also a monument to a woman.  In actual fact the woman after whom Port Elizabeth was named.  The pyramid, or Donkin Memorial as it is known, was erected by Sir Rufane Donkin in 1820 in memory of his wife, Lady Elizabeth Donkin, who died the year before of fever in India.  The plaque reads:

To the memory

of one of the most perfect

of human beings

who has given her name

to the Town below

Fort Selwyn

The hill overlooking Grahamstown from the east on which the prominent Settlers Monument is situated is called Gunfire Hill.  In 1835 during the 6th Frontier War (there were nine Frontier wars stretching over 100 years) it was decided to built a fort on top of the hill to protect the approaches to the town as well as its resources.  The fort was named after Captain Charles Jasper Selwyn of the Cape Corps of Royal Engineers who was responsible for the design and construction of the fort.

The fort was manned by the Royal Artillery between 1836 and 1862, when most of the garrison was withdrawn from Grahamstown.  It was again manned during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, but thereafter it fell into disrepair until its restoration in the 1970's. 

 An interesting story on how the hill got its name is that up until September 1870 a nine o'clock gun was fired from Fort Selwyn every morning, allegedly to remind Grahamstown's civil servants that they should be at work.

In 1845 a semaphore mast was erected as part of a telegraph system that was intended to connect Grahamstown with Fort Beaufort and Fort Peddie to convey messages along the defensive line.  The system however was a huge failure as the masts were often obscured by mists and haze.

Fort Selwyn forms part of the Albany Museum Complex in Grahamstown.

British Settlers Family Statue

The area from Port Elizabeth eastwards, specially around Grahamstown and Bathurst, is where the British Settlers settled in 1820 (see here and here).  On top of Gunfire Hill overlooking Grahamstown is the big Settlers Monument building and just down the road from it visitors will find the British Settlers Family statue.  The statue depicts a settler family as they would have looked on their arrival in Algoa Bay. 

Along with the Xhosa and the Dutch, the British Settlers form part of the rich cultural heritage that the Eastern Cape can boast with.  One of the other symbols of the Eastern Cape is the aloe, here photographed in front of the British Settlers Family statue.

Statue halo

The sun forming a halo on the head of the Dutch Language Monument in the Eastern Cape town of Burgersdorp.  Would have been awesome if the statue was an angel, but alas she doesn't have wings.

Van Plettenberg Beacon

Please put your hands up if you've been to Plettenberg Bay or live in the town and have visited the Van Plettenberg Beacon... or even know it exists.  I bet there isn't too many hands up right now.  The beacon can be seen at the lookout point on the corner of Hopwood and Meeding Street.

During 1778, Governor Joachim Baron van Plettenberg visited many of the outposts throughout the Cape Colony.  He arrived in the bay, then known as Bahia Formosa (Beautiful Bay as named by early Portuguese explorers) on 5 November 1778.  After inspecting the bay and surrounding area, he erected this slate possesional stone indicating that the bay henceforth would belong to the Dutch East India Company.  From that day on the town also bore his name, Plettenberg Bay.