This hotel has been through a number of iterations over the years and is no more as it has been converted into offices. Over the years this hotel served as the venue for numerous clubs both sporting and social. The reason for the attraction to this venue is unknown but must surely have related to the proprietor’s provision of special facilities such as a large room with plenty of chairs.

It also served as the venue for celebrating the completion of airflight training. Fortunately I have photos and details of the celebrations held in March 1843 by a bunch of Australians on completion of their air gunnery course at 42 Air School based south of Driftsands airport as well as their wartime experiences  

Main picture:  The Algoa House prior to its conversion into the Algoa House Hotel

Jonathan Board constructed what he named Algoa House in 1843. He rented the property to Mrs. Harriet Eedes for use as a school for young ladies. This school is listed in 1843 edition of the Cape Almanac as Mrs. Harriet Joanna Eedes’ School for Young Ladies. In 1845, Eedes advertised that she was re-opening her boarding school in Grahamstown, where she rented the house The Retreat.

For the following 17 years, this house presumably reverted to its original use viz that of being used as some form of accommodation. It is after this period that it was converted into a hotel called the Algoa House Hotel. An advert placed by a Mr J.A. Dreyer in the local newspaper stated that as from the 1^st July 1862 that he had opened a hotel in Western Road on the hill in what was formerly Algoa House. A separate club room with a fine billiard table was built behind the house facing Pearson Street. It was here that the P.E. Club commenced operations in 1866.

Dreyer parted with the hotel in 1868 to Louisa Janion who in turn sold it to H. Hinwood in 1879. The Algoa House Hotel made history in 1865 when the Alfred Club Room became the first building on the Hill to be lit with gas. Even though officially it was called the Algoa House Hotel, during this period it was often colloquially known by the name of the licensee as was the norm. The only remaining part is the bar which was built in 1903.

The initial venue of the P.E. Club might have been the Algoa House Hotel, but it would neither be the first nor the last society or club which would use this hotel as its venue. In May 1888, at a meeting held in this hotel, it was decided to create a P.E. and Uitenhage Rugby Union for which a Challenge Cup would be competed. At that time, there were only three rugby teams in existence in the Port Elizabeth area: the Union Club in Uitenhage and the Olympic and Crusader Clubs in Port Elizabeth.

In March 1890, this Hotel was again the venue for an inaugural meeting; in this case it was the South African Philatelic Society at which G.A. Meyer was elected as its first President. This was rapidly followed in little over a year later when in June 1891, the P.E. Football Association was formed with A. Dickson as President and J. McIlwraith and J. Brister as Vice-Presidents. Chocolate and maroon were selected as the Club Colours and they agreed to share the same ground in Park Drive which the Council had let to the Caledonian Cricket Club.

During January of the following year, being 1892, the inaugural meeting of the “new Club” was held at this venue at which the rules were adopted. The election of the leadership was performed with M.M. Loubser being appointed President with John McIlwraith, I.R. Dunell and A. Cowie as Vice-Presidents. On 11^th January 1899, the Junior Club was officially renamed St. George’s Club.

The Algoa House remained largely the same until in the 1930s when it was demolished to make way for the modern Algoa Hotel. During the later seventies, probably 1978 or 1979, it was converted into offices. This was probably as a result of the plethora of bars and hotel in the area with the Edward and the Grand being the most prominent. The final owner was Hynch, who arranged a party for all the regulars on the last night of business. At closing time,  Snowball Hynch announced that the customers could all take mementoes home. That included the furniture.

Celebration on completion of course at 42 Air School
During WW2, South Africa was requested to train Allied aircrew in the Union. In terms of the JATS – the Joint Air Training Scheme – South Africa would train 33,347 aircrew which included 12,221 SAAF personnel. Amongst the 37 South African based air schools, No. 42 was based in Port Elizabeth, south of the main civilian airport. Included amongst the 21,126 foreigners who were trained in South Africa over the 5 years of WW2, was one who came from Tasmania in Australia, Pierce Joseph Keating.

Before these trainees could be inserted into the hurly-burly of war, there was a certain function, maybe even a rite of passage, which would have to be performed. Before departing for war, the 21 aircrew who had successfully completed course 6 A.N. would have to celebrate; a proper jollification but not debauchery. Wednesday 3^rd March 1943 was selected, and the Algoa Hotel was chosen as the venue.

Demise
This hotel was one of a number of hotels in the vicinity. In fact there were two in Whites / Western Road within a block of the Algoa Hotel. To be more upmarket, they could have held the celebration at the King Edward Hotel. Maybe this venue was precluded in case their party got too rowdy. On the other hand diagonally opposite the King Edward, there was the Grand Hotel. In its heyday, it was known as the Bunton’s Grand Hotel. Claiming to have hosted many venerable dignitaries over the years, it had long since lost its cachet and class. It would have been equally suited to hold a rowdy party. Whether it was a toss of a coin or by open acclamation, the Algoa Hotel was the chosen venue.

According to Cedric McCleland the demise of the Algoa Hotel in the late 1970’s was almost certainly due to UPE relocating from Bird Street to the new Summerstrand campus from about 1975. The Algoa was heavily patronised by students whose residences were a mere stone’s throw away in the Bird Street/Cuyler Street area, and the impact of the loss of their patronage must have severe.

Sources
Hills Covered with Cottages: Port Elizabeth’s Lost Streetscapes by Margaret Harradine (2010, Express Copy & Print, Port Elizabeth)
Port Elizabeth: A Social Chronicle to the end of 1945 by Margaret Harradine (2004, Historical Society of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth)

Personal experience
On completion of my National Service, as the Army training was called in those days, we were transported by train from Oudshoorn to Port Elizabeth station. It was then agreed that we would go home to change into civvies and then to meet again, for the last time, at the Algoa Hotel for a drink, or more accurately drinks. What saved me was the paucity of money and having to keep enough money spare for bus fare home to Newton Park. The only person at this event that I can recall 45 years later, is a school friend, Graham Harding.