A fair amount has been written for the Heritage Portal about the current derelict state of the once magnificent and cosy Royal Natal National Park Hotel, with its wonderful locality within sight of the Drakensberg Amphitheatre. The story of the Royal Natal National Park Hotel (and nearby Thendele Hutted camp and the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge) is perhaps about the challenges of keeping existing tourist assets alive during periods of social change and that there is a lack of attention by the government of South Africa to investing in tourism, despite this economic sector being one of the most promising growth sectors in almost every country in the world.
I have recently been given access to the colour slide collection of my friend’s late father-in-law, Denis James Strever, who travelled extensively in South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. These are some of his photographs of a family holiday spent at the famous Royal Natal National Park Hotel. In the 1970s, the Royal Natal National Park Hotel was in full swing and a lovely place to visit. Because of their age, the Agfacolor photographic slides have changed colour, becoming more magenta in the 50 or so years since they were taken. In this article, I use these photographs to contrast the hotel in its heyday with the ruin it has become, despite the excellent location within the new uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park World Heritage Site and the Transfrontier Park.
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[Originally published 17 June 2014] Over the past year a number of community members have brought the derelict state of the Royal Natal National Park Hotel to our attention. It appears as though there is a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel with AMAFA officials visiting the site in 2013 and requesting a heritage survey to be done by a qualified heritage practitioner. This will hopefully pave the way for a range of options to restore the landmark facility. Click here to view the discussion thread with fantastic old photos and recent updates.
The Park and the Hotel were awarded the title 'Royal' after the Royal Family visited in 1947. Alan Short, the lessee at the time, expanded the facilities to ensure maximum comfort for the famous visitors. The resort became incredibly popular after the royal visit and at its height facilities included a cinema, dance hall, lounge bar, restaurant, tennis courts, swimming pool, bowling green and so much more. In the early 1960s the cast and crew of the well known film Zulu stayed at the hotel adding another layer of significance to the site.
Rising costs and greater competition hit the hotel hard in the 1980s and 1990s and it finally closed its doors in 2000.
Below are a selection of photos taken by The Heritage Portal team in June 2014.
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