This blog is loosely based upon the reminiscences of Mrs. Margery Lochhead who was born in 1888 in Port Elizabeth and recalls the town of her youth. Not only was the town on the cusp of a new century but it would also herald the advent of revolutionary technologies such as the motor vehicle and electricity. These inventions would forever change the mode of transport but also humanity’s relationships with work and leisure.

However, these changes were still in the future. In the latter part of the 19^th century, the horse, the cart and Shank’s Pony [i.e. one’s own legs] were still the predominant modes of travel.

Main picture: Main Street before 1883. Note that this portion of western Main Street north of Donkin Street still possessed numerous of the original basic single and double storey buildings. As redevelopment steadily extended towards Russell Street, in due course these buildings would be replaced with larger more elegant structures