Port Elizabeth of Yore Archives - Page 44 of 71

Port Elizabeth of Yore: St George’s Park, its Creator and its Facilities

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 18 July 2019 3 Comments

With the imminent arrival of spring, the whole of St. George’s Park will be blossoming. Perhaps we should spare a thought for the man who was originally employed to create a park out of a stretch of veld in the face of winds, drought and, for a long time, no reliable water supply. Established in 1860, St George’s Park is spread over 73 ha. Today it comprises pristine wooded parkland and extensive plant collections and specimen trees as well as various other amenities.

The creator of this splendid park was a Scot by the name of John Wilson.

Main picture: Pathways in St George’s Park in 1910

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The History of the Prince Alfred’s Guard’s Drill Hall

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 17 July 2019 2 Comments

Many of Port Elizabeth’s sons and fathers have served with distinction in the Prince Alfred’s Guards including many of my uncles. This blog shines a spotlight onto one of the remnants of that once proud unit, its historic Drill Hall.

Main picture: Prince Alfred Guard’s Drill Hall or Shed in PAG parlance

Port Elizabeth of Yore: From Sundridge to the Sharley Cribb

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 15 July 2019 2 Comments

From the outset, Park Drive was envisaged as having large erven so as to accommodate “villa sites”. Many of the initial homes could be classified as mansions owned by the haute monde but the succeeding generations could either no longer afford such luxurious accommodation or they cashed in their inheritance.

In the manner, the original inhabitants of Sundridge strode the same path: from manor house to nursing home.

Main picture: The original Sundridge mansion at 58 Park Drive

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Tragedy of HMS Thunderbolt

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 15 July 2019 0 Comment

Not all vessels lost in Algoa Bay up till 1847 were as a result of high winds and rough seas. HMS Thunderbolt was one of those exceptions. This is the saga of that catastrophe and how this treacherous reef off Cape Recife obtained its name.

Main picture: HMS Thunderbolt en route to beaching at the mouth of the Baakens River

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Story of the Equestrian War Memorial

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 15 July 2019 0 Comment

The Horse Memorial has been a feature of Port Elizabeth since the 11^th February 1905 yet very few people are aware of the story of why the citizens deemed it necessary to erect it.

This blog sets this to rights as told by Tennyson S. Bodill

Main picture: The Horse Remount Depot in North End during the Boer War catered for over 30 000 horses

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Story of “Knockfierna” in Park Drive

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 13 July 2019 2 Comments

Knockfierna (Hill of Fairies or Truth) was originally built in 1899 as an opulent grand Victorian Mansion by John Daverin, from Ireland, who was a successful Wool Merchant. John and his wife, Clothilda, brought up their seven children in the grand style befitting this era. It was then owned by Harry James Harraway and then Raymond Whitworth Hutchinson before becoming St. George’s Preparatory School.

This is the story of this mansion and its first three owners as told by Tennyson S. Bodill.

Main picture: Knockfierna circa 1900

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Grey Junior School from Belmont Terrace to College Drive

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 12 July 2019 0 Comment

Among many of unique aspects of Port Elizabeth, is the fact that the location of many schools has varied over the years as many have been relocated. One such school which followed this trend was the Grey Junior School.

Main picture: The first home of the Grey Junior School at the corner of Belmont Terrace and Western Road

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Blunting the Menace of the Drift Sands

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 11 July 2019 0 Comment

A natural feature of Port Elizabeth since time immemorial was a band of drift sands stretching from Gulchways near Schoenmakerskop across the bush to Algoa Bay between Shark River and Bird Road.

To protect the town, in the 1870s it was decided to prevent the sands’ possible movement over the town by planting bushes and trees over the sand dunes. This process took 30 years. Apart from remnants of these dunes, none of this natural feature remains except the sandy soil. The consequences of tampering with nature always results in unintended consequences. In a separate blog I have addressed those negative effects on the ecological system.

This blog has been based upon an excellent article by Ivor Markman which was published in the Herald on Monday 20th July 2009

Main picture: Mule train used to deposit refuse on the drift sands

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Opening of St. George’s Park

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 11 July 2019 0 Comment

Many of the visitors to Port Elizabeth in its formative years paint a deeply unflattering picture of the hamlet as being dull and dreary or more depressingly as “a parcel of miserable huts huddled together on the seashore”. By the 1860s that situation was being cast aside by numerous events amongst which was the opening of St. George’s Park and the erection of the majestic Town Hall.

This blog is based almost exclusively upon an unpublished article by Tennyson S. Bodill on this event entitled Narrative of the Park on the Hill.

Main picture: The Pearson Conservatory in 1888

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Ford Motor Company

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 8 July 2019 6 Comments

Ford had a long association with Port Elizabeth until its relocation to Mamelodi, Pretoria after Ford’s disinvestment from South Africa during 1985. From its humble origins in its first factory located in an ex-woolstore in Grahamstown Road in November 1923, it was subsequently relocated to Harrower Road and then to Neave Township.

Main picture: This was the first factory of Ford Motor Company in Port Elizabeth in Grahamstown Road

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

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