The Donkin Reserve and Surrounds

Port Elizabeth owes its existence to one major historical event: a decision by Britain’s House of Commons on 12 July 1819 to approve the expenditure of £50,000 on the Cape Emigration Scheme. By late that year, tens of thousands of applicants had been whittled down to about 4000. They set out in 25 sailing ships during the northern winter, arriving in Algoa Bay some three months later. This tour is really about how that British emigration scheme led inexorably to the establishment of a port and a community, who created a town with strong cultural links to the land of their birth. The year 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the settlers, and I’ll be showing you some of the more remarkable buildings and monuments that have sprung up over the past two centuries. Indeed, we’ll even see one building that dates back to the late 18th century: the oldest building in Port Elizabeth, Fort Frederick. We start on the Donkin Reserve, site of a pyramid monument erected in 1820 by acting Cape Colony governor Sir Rufane Donkin, who was on hand to welcome the settlers. Donkin was in deep mourning following the recent death of his young wife, Elizabeth. Places are about people, and all the buildings we’ll see are a reflection of the endeavours over almost 200 years of the people who turned this remote corner of Africa into a bustling port city. If like me you are passionate about history, and especially the courage and tenacity it took for people to carve out a new and successful existence for themselves, then this tour is for you. You’ll see historic stone churches and a 52-metre-high tower, the Campanile, built to mark the 100th anniversary of the settlers’ arrival. You’ll see a stately City Hall built alongside a market square where for almost 100 years ox-wagons would congregate to sell ivory, animal hides and wool. You’ll see elaborate architectural gems, including a library whose terra cotta façade was manufactured in Britain and shipped out to Port Elizabeth, where it was assembled more than 110 years ago. This tour features many more fascinating buildings and monuments, views and vistas.

Price: £2.99 from VoiceMap