Towards the end of 2019 I did some analysis of the numbers behind The Heritage Portal (click here to view). It was a powerful exercise so I thought I would repeat it this year...

Overall numbers:

• Founded: 2012
• Number of visitors / unique users: 1 539 160
• Contributors: 288
• Articles: 917
• Notices: 2 594
• Book Reviews: 148
• Threads: 227
• Images: 9 238

2020 numbers:

• Busiest month: September 2020 - 47 922 unique users
• Average monthly users 2020: 34 000
• Number of newsletters: 47
• Articles published: 134

The Portal would be nothing without the amazing community of contributors and readers. I am incredibly grateful that the platform is able to touch the lives of so many people across the country!

I know readers love to see the most viewed articles of all time so here is a potent list (as of 21 December 2020):

Most read articles

1) Mining Headgears - Pure Functionality Ruling over Beauty (Peter Ball)

2) Forbidden Images (1960s to 1980s) - Illegal photographs captured by young men conscripted into the South African Military (Carol Hardijzer)

3) Rediscovering the 1947 Royal Visit to South Africa (Kathy Munro)

4) Nongoloza: King of the Ninevites (Lucille Davie)

5) The Last Remaining Natural Waterfall in Johannesburg (William Gaul)

 

One of the 'Forbidden Images' in Carol Hardijzer's article

 

6) A Brief History of Roads in South Africa (Peter Ball)

7) A Brief History of Knysna from 1770 to 1890 (Philip Caveney)

8) Water, water... everywhere - Johannesburg's streams and rivers (Lucille Davie)

9) The English Language in South Africa (Peter Ball)

10) The remarkable life of Charlotte Maxeke (Daluxolo Moloantoa)

 

An early photo of Knysna

 

11) Sandton has a new tallest building! (James Ball)

12) Advice on Wooden Floor Restoration (Adrian de Villiers)

13) One of the most extraordinary archaeological and historical phenomena in Southern Africa (Peter Delius, Tim Maggs & Alex Schoeman)

14) Dark History Behind the Oriental Plaza (Nigel Mandy)

15) South Africa's World Record Breaking Train! (Norman Chandler)

 

Some of the archaeological ruins studied by Delius, Maggs and Schoeman

 

16) Why we should observe Remembrance Day in South Africa (Allan Sinclair)

17) A Short History of the Company's Garden, Cape Town (JG Brand)

18) A Short Masterclass on Boundary Walls (Peter Ball)

19) History and Style of the Bo-Kaap (Lesley Townsend)

20) The Big Fiery Giant - The Story of the Beyer-Garratt Locomotive (Peter Ball)

 

A scene from the Company's Gardens

 

21) Historic Tunnel at Waterval Boven - Probably the best-known and most famous of all NZASM structures (James Ball)

22) Unique Photographs from the Boer War (Carol Hardijzer)

23) A Short History of one of the oldest houses in South Africa (Restorica)

24) The Cape to Cairo Railway Dream (Peter Ball)

25) Amazing places to view the Joburg skyline (James Ball)

 

The historic tunnel at Waterval Boven