The new Opera House stained glass feature

One of the new additions to the newly revamped Port Elizabeth Opera House is a stained glass window featuring the only three Africans on the continent to win the prestigious Tony Award – John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Athol Fugard. And best of all, they're all from our city. Forty years ago, the trio were nominated for … Continue reading The new Opera House stained glass feature →

Inside the Port Elizabeth Opera House

When last have you attended a performance at the Opera House? Do you even know what it looks like in the main theatre? I am ashamed to say that I haven't been there for many many years, but I got to see it while on a tour of the facility last week. The curtain isn't … Continue reading Inside the Port Elizabeth Opera House →

Somerset East’s whiskey bar in a church

I'm not much of a drinker preferring to do the sacrilegious thing of making beer shandy by throwing lemonade into a perfectly good beer. But I am known to enjoy a good beer or wine tasting so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that I'm doing a post on a place where you can do … Continue reading Somerset East’s whiskey bar in a church →

The new Opera House extension and renovations

Yesterday's post was a Then and Now post featuring the Port Elizabeth Opera House. As the photo was taken from the street corner, the latest addition to the building wasn't really that visible so I decided to post a second photo. The wine coloured section is is the part that was built on to the … Continue reading The new Opera House extension and renovations →

Hofmeyr’s pink church

Most Karoo towns have a historic church with a church tower that keeps an eye out over it. The Karoo Heartland town of Hofmeyr is no different... or perhaps it is. Why? Because it has a pink church tower standing out above the town. The Dutch Reformed Church in Hofmeyr was built in 1875 and … Continue reading Hofmeyr’s pink church →

Then and Now – The Port Elizabeth Opera House

The first meeting to discuss a new theatre for Port Elizabeth took place in 1890 after which a company was formed, shares sold and a site was agreed upon with the Town Council. The building was designed by G.W. Smith and opened on 1 December 1892. The first lessees of the building was B and … Continue reading Then and Now – The Port Elizabeth Opera House →

A new coffee shop at the Athenaeum

There seems to be a coffee shop around every second corner these days, so you tend to look for the special ones. Last week I got to visit the newest one in town and it may just become one of those special ones. It is located inside the historic Athenaeum building in Central and is … Continue reading A new coffee shop at the Athenaeum →

Taxis in Whites Road

One of the Route 67 art pieces that gets the most comment from visitors is the taxis on the wall in front of the PE Opera House in Whites Road. The taxis represent the mode of public transport used by most South Africans. "History is often shaped by momentus events, while cities with their alleys, … Continue reading Taxis in Whites Road →

Ironman African Championship 2015 highlights

Next weekend the 2016 edition of the Ironman African Championship takes place here in Port Elizabeth. The Ironman vibe is going to be picking up around the beachfront and Boardwalk over the next week and to put you all in the mood, here is the highlights video of the 2015 event.

Then and Now – The Athenaeum building

The Port Elizabeth Athenaeum Society of Port Elizabeth was founded in 1856 to promote the interests of science and literature among the members and general public. In 1859 land was granted for the erection of the Town Hall and it stated that the building had to provide space for a library and athenaem as well. … Continue reading Then and Now – The Athenaeum building →