Scottish Cemetery

Port Elizabeth has some wonderful historic cemeteries, one of them the Scottish Cemetery in St Georges Park. The first cemetery in Port Elizabeth was St Mary's Cemetery which started as a military cemetery, but after the arrival of the British Settlers it was assigned to the St Mary's Collegiate Church and opened for the burial … Continue reading Scottish Cemetery →

The grave of George Impey

Browsing through the historic cemeteries in Port Elizabeth I often find the graves of people who were prominent Port Elizabeth residents back in its early days. One of the graves I found in the St Mary's Cemetery belongs to George Impey who died in 1890 and was the editor and part proprietor of the Eastern Province … Continue reading The grave of George Impey →

Graves and grasses

Grasses shining in the afternoon sun in St Mary's Cemetery

Rev Francis McCleland’s grave

Over the last two years every time I visited the St Mary's Cemetery I've had a look for Rev Francis McCleland's grave without any success. Grizel Hart, the curator at No.7 Castle Hill, explained to me where to find it and on my last visit - after again walking right past it twice - I found … Continue reading Rev Francis McCleland’s grave →

St Mary’s Cemetery gate

The entrance into the historic St Mary's Cemetery at the bottom of Valley Road. I love wandering through St Mary's and discovering all the old graves, some belonging to original 1820 British Settlers.

Cemetery fencing

Old cemeteries hold a special place in my heart and I really enjoy exploring them where ever I encounter any. The old Scottish Cemetery in St Georges Park is probably one of the lesser known cemeteries in Port Elizabeth and some of the graves date back to the mid 1800's. Unfortunately for explorers like me … Continue reading Cemetery fencing →

Steve Biko’s grave

In a small cemetery outside King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape you will find the humble grave of one of South Africa's best known anti-apartheid leaders from the 1960s and 1970s, Banto Stephen (Steve) Biko. Steve Biko was born on 18 December 1946 and founded the Black Consciousness Movement. On 18 August 1977 Biko was arrested at … Continue reading Steve Biko’s grave →

Day 3 and 4 of the Mini vs Maxi trip

Day 3 of the Mini vs Maxi Adventure Across the Eastern Cape started with a hearty breakfast at the legendary Lavender Blue just outside East London for Team Mini. Farm style breakfasts with orange juice all around and us intrepid travellers and then we were ready to head towards Grahamstown for our next destination.Driving through … Continue reading Day 3 and 4 of the Mini vs Maxi trip →

Spioenkop Battlefield

The memorial to the British soldiers that fell at Spioenkop KwaZulu Natal is famous for its battlefields which includes battles between the British and Zulus, the Boers and the Zulus (during the Great Trek) and between the British and the Boers (during the Anglo Boer War). One of the famous battles during the latter took place … Continue reading Spioenkop Battlefield →

Knysna forest graves

What would an expedition into the Knysna forest be without looking for some of the graves that belong to the woodcutters and miners from back in the days? My map of the forest showed "graves" close to Millwood and I ventured down a short narrow dirt road to have a look. The small sign at the gate called … Continue reading Knysna forest graves →