Tag: history

The Cross of Prester John

The space between the Port Elizabeth City Hall, Old Post Office Building and the Feather Market Centre in Fleming Square and it contains a monument which is the only of its kind in the world.  The Prester John Cross was unveiled in 1986 by the Portuguese Ambassador and is dedicated to the mythical king-priest, Prester John, and … Continue reading The Cross of Prester John →

History of Walmer

I wonder how many people know that Walmer used to be a town on its own before becoming part of Port Elizabeth.  In 1815 the farm Welbedacht, covered an area just under 14 square miles, to the south west of Port Elizabeth was granted to AM Muller.  When Muller died in 1845 his farm was inherited by … Continue reading History of Walmer →

193 years of being called PE

If you could go back 193 years in time to this day in 1820, you would see the arrival of Sir Rufane Donkin, Acting Governor of the Cape Colony, in Algoa Bay to oversee the arrival and settling of the British Settlers.  You would also see him look around at the beautiful bay with the small settlement on the coastline … Continue reading 193 years of being called PE →

Uitenhage Concentration Camp Memorial

Not a lot of people know that Uitenhage had a concentration camp right on their doorstep during the Anglo-Boer War between 1899 and 1902.  The concentration camp used to be situated on 10 hectares of land on the outskirts of town where the festival grounds can be found.  During the war a large number of women and children were … Continue reading Uitenhage Concentration Camp Memorial →

Water scheme memorial

Very few locals would know that the Prince Alfred Guard Memorial forms the certral ornamental feature of Port Elizabeth's second oldest water reservoir. In the early 1900's it was decided to supply water to Port Elizabeth from the Bulk and Sand Rivers and the St. George's Reservoir was constructed as a part of this scheme.  Excavation for the reservoir was commenced at … Continue reading Water scheme memorial →

Schoenmakerskop fortress

I have posted in the past about the series of Fortress Observation Posts that was built around Port Elizabeth at the start of the Second World War as harbour defences, showing in particular the one in Cape Recife.  The FOP most people may have seen before is the one sitting on the hill above Schoenmakerskop.  Notice the curves along … Continue reading Schoenmakerskop fortress →

Old Harbour Board Building

The old Harbour Board Building in Flemming Street in the city centre was used as the Port Elizabeth Harbour's administration building for 70 years.  The foundation stone was laid by J Searle who was the Managing Commissioner of the Harbour Board in 1904 and the building is regarded as one of the best examples of … Continue reading Old Harbour Board Building →

Captain Evatt’s tomb stone

Captain Francis Evatt who was commander of Fort Frederick from 1817 - 1847 and amongst others oversaw the landing of the 1820 British Settlers was buried in St Mary's Cathedral after his death.  His remains were moved to a grave just outside the north wall of Fort Frederick in 1956.  With the moving of his remains to the … Continue reading Captain Evatt’s tomb stone →