On top of the lighthouse

A couple of tourists enjoying the view from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse

The best view in PE

What is the best viewpoint in Port Elizabeth? In my opinion its the view from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse. This is the view across the Donkin Reserve showing the King Edward Hotel, Grey Institute, Donkin Street Houses and some of the Route 67 art pieces, including the 65m high flagpole. To think of it, I … Continue reading The best view in PE →

The Port Elizabeth St Georges Club

In 1866 a group of Port Elizabeth businessmen decided to start a social club where they could come together after work for a drink while playing snooker and billiards. The Port Elizabeth Club was born. The club originally started in Western Road opposite the Trinder Vlei and then moved to the present location when membership started to grow too big for … Continue reading The Port Elizabeth St Georges Club →

Looking up at Pleinhuis

Port Elizabeth has some beautiful Art Deco buildings, some in good condition and others in need of repair. Pleinhuis (plein meaning square as in open space and huis means house) on Market Square is one of the prime examples in the city. I went to a meeting at Pleinhuis and before I entered looked up at the gargoyles on … Continue reading Looking up at Pleinhuis →

Donkin flag

The giant South African flag on top of the 65m high flagpole on the Donkin Reserve has truly become one of Port Elizabeth's new iconic landmarks. The flag is visible from just about all over the city (if you have some kind of vantage point) thanks to the fact that the flagpole is the second … Continue reading Donkin flag →

St Mary’s Cathedral

Up to the time that the British Settlers arrived in Algoa Bay in 1820, the needs of the British garrison at Port Elizabeth had been served by chaplains on passing ships. By 1825 the settlement had grown to about 500 people. One of these was Reverend Francis McClelland (the same person who built No 7 Castle Hill). He … Continue reading St Mary’s Cathedral →

Courtyard pump

The well in the courtyard at No 7 Castle Hill must truly be one of the highlights to kids visiting the museum. Not because of the hole in the ground, but for the pump that gets the water out the hole. The date on the pump is 1849 which means its been in place for over … Continue reading Courtyard pump →

artEC shop

The artEC (EPSAC) Gallery in Central recently opened an art shop selling local art and craft. Over the last couple of years the gallery has really seen a turnaround with new exhibitions happening just about every few weeks as well as workshops and other activities geared towards the local art community. The new art shop just adds … Continue reading artEC shop →

The Voting line on the Donkin

My favourite Route 67 art piece on the Donkin Reserve must be The Voting Line. The Voting Line was created by artists Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel and consist of life-size laser-cut steel figures that form a symbolic voting line celebrating the voters as they were seen in the country's first democratic elections in … Continue reading The Voting line on the Donkin →

St Augustines

Port Elizabeth has two beautiful cathedrals literally a couple of hundred meters away from each other in the city centre. The one is the St Mary's Anglican Cathedral while the second (in picture) is St Augustine's Catholic Cathedral. When the first Catholic priest set foot in Port Elizabeth in 1840 (after being shipwrecked in Cape … Continue reading St Augustines →