Port Elizabeth

A few years ago a wonderful collection of old documents was found in the basement of a Johannesburg inner city building while the tenant (Nedbank) was moving out. One of the boxes we looked at contained details of Nedbank's 50th anniversary celebrations (circa 1938). It was here we found a remarkable set of images of a few Town / City Halls around the country. It appears as though the photographs were taken in the late 1930s. Enjoy...

Old Raadsaal Bloemfontein (so not officially a Town Hall)

Durban Town Hall

East London Town Hall

Johannesburg Town Hall

[[{"fid":"1266","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Port Elizabeth Town Hall 1930s - Nedbank Jubilee Booklet"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"field_deltas":{"5":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Port Elizabeth Town Hall 1930s - Nedbank Jubilee Booklet"}},"attributes":{"title":"Port Elizabeth Town Hall 1930s - Nedbank Jubilee Booklet","height":591,"width":768,"style":"width: 500px; height: 385px...

The following article appeared in the 1998 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Jonathan Mercer, then Assistant City Engineer Planning for Port Elizabeth, posed some tough questions about planning and enforcement in our cities. Many of his points are still relevant today. Thank you to the University of Pretoria (Restorica copyright holders) for allowing us to publish the piece.

Cities in South Africa today are faced with an ever-growing demand for development. In many cases developers take the law into their own hands and proceed with development without necessary consent from the authorities. What is happening in Port Elizabeth can possibly be viewed as an illustration of what is taking place elsewhere...

One of the many aims of urban planning within a City's local authority is to ensure that land uses complement one another as growth and development occurs. It also aims to protect the interests of the broader community against what might be selfish interests of an individual developer. To achieve this, certain regulations and by-laws have been put into place over the years and these provide the necessary authority to ensure that persons who transgress them can be prosecuted.

However, in our fledgling democracy, many persons have interpreted the political change for the better as the right to do what they please, where they please, whenever they please, without any sense of responsibility and with apparent impunity. The blanket of lawlessness that has settled...

The Settlers Park Monument is in fragments, the Horse Memorial is missing its Soldier, and Queen Victoria has a green dress.  All across the nation, monuments are covered in graffiti and paint. The bronzes are corroding, the marbles are stained, and the iron is disappearing everywhere, but this is all in a day’s work in the life of an art conservationist.

“Hi!” My name is Josh, and I am a conservation technician. This is simply a fancy way to describe a person that cleans and repairs valuable historic objects. To do this, I need to be able to follow instructions closely, and have a steady hand – like when I was pinning back the fingers of a marble statue.

Skilful hands are essential in this job, because on a regular basis I have the privilege of physically cleaning or repairing valuable and vulnerable heritage objects and monuments. At times this work can be nerve racking, painstakingly repetitive, or dare I say, “tedious.”

To be good at this work one has to have the right temperament. The “patience of Job” will go a long way with the delicate work required while fine motor skills and a good working knowledge of material science should keep you out of trouble.

I remember how I once spent weeks cleaning the corrosion from the intricate engravings on the blade of a Cape Military cavalry sword with an engravers pencil under a microscope. A stiff back, a kink in my neck, and a very satisfied client...

This installment of the History of Southern African Railways series looks at the demise of the branch line network and will be relevant to many in the heritage community. Over the last few decades many lines have been closed and the heritage assets associated with them have fallen into disrepair. We certainly hope that Transnet's strategy to revitalise the branch line network will go some way towards turning this situation around.

The original mandate conferred on South African Railways (SAR) in 1910 placed a great onus on the Railway’s administrators. It said that the railways, ports and harbours should be run on business principles. However, it went on to say that due regard was to be paid to the provision of cheap transport for agricultural and industrial development.

The railways, as of 1910, had a total route mileage of 7000 and the trunk lines were considered to have reached to their fullest extent. Thus further development (and expenditure) would be in the upgrading of the existing system and the construction of branch lines to serve the country districts. The latter will be the focus of this article.

By definition a branch line is a secondary line which branches off a trunk line, that enables rail traffic (either passenger or produce) to be carried onward from the country districts to the major centres (ports or markets).

The typical branch line in South Africa was a Cape Gauge, lightly laid single track (45lb/yard rail) and with its accompanying telegraph line was a vital link between...

In the first installment of the series on the history of Southern African railways, Peter Ball described some of the earliest railways in the country and the extension of a number of lines into the interior. In this article he looks at the fascinating politics and economics of the 'Race for the Rand'.

Johannesburg was literally and figuratively built on Gold, the discovery of which in 1886 was to change the entire economic and financial structure of South Africa. The inconvenient truth for Britain was that the Rand Goldfields were in another country, to be exact the Transvaal Republic (a.k.a. South African Republic), which had regained its independence, after the Battle of Majuba Hill, Natal on the 27th February 1881.

Johannesburg, springing up as it did in the midst of a rural, land locked Boer republic, was situated 345 miles (555 km) inland from the nearest harbour (Delagoa Bay); it had grown, within four years, from a mining camp into a boom town (second only in size to Cape Town) and urgently needed good communications to develop further.

Johannesburg in the early 1890s (Seventy Golden Years, Johannesburg City Council)

The Race to the Rand was a three (iron) horse race over many physical and political hurdles and the riders wore the colours of the Cape...

Below is a piece that helps to answer the question 'What are the oldest towns in South Africa?'. It appeared in the book Town Planning in South Africa written by T.B. Floyd in 1960. It is important to note that the piece is limited as it does not mention pre-colonial African settlements. This is a gap that would be wonderful to fill so please do get in touch if you would like to contribute an article.

The first settlement (what would become Cape Town) comprised a fort in which all the settlers lived and large gardens near the fort in which fresh produce was grown. A little town began to spring up near the fort when buildings were erected by the free burghers (individuals permitted to establish themselves as farmers and tradesmen).

With the expansion of the Colony it became necessary to decentralise administration and in 1679 Governor Simon van der Stel established a further settlement and town which was named Stellenbosch. Here a Landdrost was appointed and a drostdy established. This resulted in a local court and a form of local government being set up for the new district.

The change from cultivation to stockfarming by a section of the population resulted in rapid expansion of the colony and further decentralisation. After Stellenbosch, Swellendam was established in October 1746 and later, in 1786, Graaff Reinet was laid out.

[[{"fid":"311","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Old Map of Graaff Reinet - Drostdy Hotel"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Old Map of Graaff Reinet - Drostdy Hotel"}},"attributes":{"title":"Old Map of Graaff Reinet - Drostdy Hotel","height":832,"width":992,"style":"width: 500px; height: 419px...

In the late 1980s Dr Nic Woolff compiled the article 'Lessons Learned from Restoring the Donkin Row Houses'. It was published in Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). If sentiment on the ground at the moment is anything to go on, the current developer has not learned any lessons and therefore this piece might make depressing reading for members of the heritage community. Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish the article.

The Group of Row Houses in Donkin Street is a very important and beautiful architectural feature of Port Elizabeth. As one of only a few remaining examples in this genre they are today much more valuable than when they were built originally. After meticulously restoring them, the author - a medical doctor by profession - was awarded the main prize (jointly) in the Herald Architecture Awards for 1988. In this article he describes the principles behind the policy he adopted for the restoration of these houses.

Donkin Row Houses after Restoration (wikicommons)

I am convinced from my experience in Donkin Street that no outstanding abilities are required for restoration. What is needed is time, interest and application. And this should not be surprising when one considers that those who...

[Originally published on 29 August 2013] On 5 August 2013 we published a letter from Andrew Reed of the Mandela Bay Heritage Trust (MBHT) highlighting neglect and illegal work in Port Elizabeth's oldest suburb. He has not received an answer from the authorities and has therefore written the follow up letter published below.

In addition to the urgent request earlier this month to SAHRA/ECPHRA and the local authority (Land and housing and building inspectorate and the Metro council at large), of which there has been a conspicuous silence, there has now followed the complete removal of the boundary wall to the rear of Donkin Row Houses (Constitution Hill Street) as well as the rest of the back of the houses.

There is a common misconception that these 'additions' are 'outhouses' despite the fact that they appear on the Smyth Survey from 1903-6. The property owner continues to get away with breaking the law without following procedure and this has caused irrevocable damage already. The Donkin Houses have lost their uniqueness and are now merely simplified shadows of what they were.

This matter is growing out of all proportion and lack of local action and the subsequent blame for the destruction of the City's heritage will fall squarely on those who have had the power to act. Approximately 8 other properties (excluding the Donkin Row) have had illegal work done, and some even demolished outright.

As the scale of this situation grows, the National Public Prosecutor will have increasingly more ammunition with which...

[Originally published 5 August 2013] The following update and call to action regarding Canterbury House, Port Elizabeth is in the form of an open letter written by Andrew Reed of the Mandela Bay Heritage Trust (MBHT).

We are all well aware of and very concerned about the unchecked destruction of Port Elizabeth's oldest suburb. It has come to the attention of many of us that the prominent owner of the Donkin Row houses, has moved his operations to the next level, highly sensitive 1820 settler houses on Constitution Hill.

Scaffolding has now gone up at No 35 Constitution Hill, known as 'Canterbury House' which was ravaged by fire in 2002/2004. Only certain parts were destroyed and the house circa 1837, has been left to the elements ever since in a wilful manner by the present owner.

This house, built for Richard Tee, 1820 settler from Damant's party, represents a vital part of PE's history and is in fact Grade II listed. Photos reveal that the fire was confined to various areas and the huge concern is that original (though now decayed) fabric will now be disposed of as has taken place, unchecked, with the Donkin Row Houses.

There is no open, transparent procedure being followed in terms of recording the fabric or securing it or replacing it in a sensitive way, which is non-negotiable when it comes to Grade II listed structures. No 31 Constitution Hill, (circa 1824) is also in danger.

[[{"fid":"413","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"35 Constitution Hill - Andrew Reed - 2013"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"title":"35...