Port Elizabeth of Yore: No. 7 Castle Hill through the Ages

Of all the houses in early Port Elizabeth, only No. 7 Castle Hill has been sketched or painted over the ages. The reason is obvious. Initially it was the fact that it was owned by the Rev. Francis McCleland, the first clergyman at St Mary’s church but for later painters it was that fact that the dwelling occupied a prominent position on the hill.

Early pictures of Port Elizabeth in which No. 7 Castle Hill can be identified are helpful, but as Mrs Trehaeven, the curator notes in an article in Looking Back, that these sketches seem to present conflicting evidence. One must bear in mind that the aim of the artist was generally to present a panoramic view. He would not be much concerned with details of specific buildings. What the artist failed to appreciate was that future generations would only have these sketches and drawings as their reference work.

Main picture: No. 7 Castle Hill [supplied by Angela Hidden nee Smith]

Will a comparison of the various depictions of No. 7 Castle Hill over its life of 200 years reveal any changes made and also establish the accuracy of these drawings and paintings. Let us review all extant ones and compare them to the others.

A View of Port Elizabeth circa 1829 by Thomas Slater

Mrs Trehaeven describes this house as follows: Painted from the south side of the Baakens River, it shows Castle Hill from the west side and part of the frontage. In this watercolour the house appears to have high side parapets and a flight of stairs leading up in the centre to a landing outside the front door. Under this landing, there appears to be an archway. Possibly the side parapets could have played a part in deflecting the run-off of water down the hill from the front of the house in wet weather.

WJ Huggins in 1832

Lithograph by WJ Huggins of Port Elizabeth entitled “Whaling in Algoa Bay.”. Note the whaling activity in the foreground and No. 7 Castle appears in a side view on the brow of the hill which Mrs Trehaeven used to draw the line sketch above.

W.A. Harries sketch circa 1848

However in the case of Walford Abouin Harries lithograph entitled “Southern View of Port Elizabeth” there was no such ambiguity or ambivalence regarding its accuracy and attention to detail. In the Port Elizabeth Telegraph of 7th August 1851, Harries was highly commended for the accuracy of his drawing. These lithographs were put on sale for 10s 6d.

In the press comments such as “Even the most critical eye can detect no graver error than a trifling difference in the height of the roof” as well s “in point of fidelity and truthfulness we have examined few pictures that could vie with it.

Walford Harries was a local man born and bred whose father, William Matthew Harries, owned and probably built the large house which once stood diagonally opposite No. 7 Castle Hill. His period of ownership probably lasted from1841 to 1844. Mrs Trehaeven contends that as WA Harries knew the area well, he would tend to draw what he knew to be there. She notes that in his painting, one can espy No. 7 Castle Hill in a gap between Sterley Cottages, showing a central fight of steps leading to the front door, with railings on either side.

Henry Fancourt White in 1850

Henry White painted this watercolour picture circa 1850 from the same vantage point as Huggins but in this case from the Phoenix Hotel, looking across the square and up Castle Hill. Trehaeven notes the similarities between Huggins and White in that both of these pictures show what appears to be a high solid verandah without railings, but both show a change of level on the road side, which could be construed as steps showing beyond the stoep.

Castle Hill painted by Henry Fancourt White in 1850 with No. 7 Castle Hill perched on the brow of the hill

Conclusion on original structure
Perhaps the view as presented by Thomas Slater will compel one to reconsider the structure as presented by Huggins and White, both of whom depict the east side elevation of No. 7 Castle Hill. Perhaps after all, their pictures show the parapet sides rather than a solid verandah. Notwithstanding that, one can but speculate what the smaller building directly behind No. 7 might have been.

Number 7 Castle Hill Port Elizabeth – undated

Sources
The Secret Door by Mrs R Trehaeven [Looking Back, Vol. 25, No. 3, December 1985]

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