Jetty Street

People arriving in Port Elizabeth by ship in the old days disembarked at the old jetty and had to travel up Jetty Street into the town. The statue of Queen Victoria was positioned in front of the Public Library to look down Jetty Street and welcome visitors to the town. In the 1970's when the Settlers … Continue reading Jetty Street →

Base of the Campanile

Usually most photos concentrate on the Campanile from afar or looking up at it's top, so I decided to post one of the entrance. The Campanile was completed in 1922 on the landing beach where the British Settlers arrived in 1820. Once you enter this door, you still need to climb 204 steps to get … Continue reading Base of the Campanile →

Campanile view

The observation deck at the top of the Campanile allows one magnificent views towards all directions. Looking over the harbour you get to see all the cars waiting to be loading onto car ships for export. The only downside, or in this case literally the upside, to reaching this view is climbing up the 204 … Continue reading Campanile view →

Campanile view of the NMB Stadium

The view of the new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium from the top of the Campanile.

rusty relics

Last week I went with a bunch of artist friends to the old Apple Express Depot which overlooks the harbour and "tank farm" along the beachfront. We had a ball rumaging around the steam train graveyard, and I could probably bore you into a coma for WEEKS with the pix I took of rusty old … Continue reading rusty relics →

Campanile and tracks

Another of the photos sent to us by Louise Eksteen last week, thanks Louise, its a nice alternative view of a PE icon!

Then and Now #1

Thanks to Gaston from France, who used to live in PE in the 1950s and early 60s, and who very kindly sent us some of his photos from that era, we will be doing a few Then and Now comparisons in the near future. We start with the Campanile, which we did a whole series … Continue reading Then and Now #1 →

Campanile #6 the clocks

This is a multi-tasking tower. It is a bell tower, a monument, and a clock tower. This latter function was not working too well until recently, as the clocks had stopped. Because watchmakers are becoming a very rare breed, and maintaining large clocks like this is an expensive business, the City Council battled to sort … Continue reading Campanile #6 the clocks →

Campanile #5

Back at the Campanile, no longer looking outwards, but upwards. We were very lucky to be allowed into the bell tower, so we can share with you views which few people have seen.The Campanile boasts 23 bells, the most in any tower in South Africa (the next one in Gauteng has 10). It is an … Continue reading Campanile #5 →

Campanile #4

In showing you so many images of the historic areas and beachfront on this blog, there is a danger that we could give the impression that this is a quaint holiday resort. The truth is that, despite being a delightful place to visit and live, PE is primarily an industrial city, and at the heart … Continue reading Campanile #4 →