Road Trip. Port Elizabeth. More History Part One.

We decided to do the Donkin Heritage walk around the Donkin reserve looking at old buildings and places of interest. There is a book available for R40 that gives you the map and a description of each place. When we saw there were 51 places of interest we thought we might not do them all in one day.
The guide book warned us that certain areas, especially around the Campanile and the Railway. are better done by car or in a large group.

I've already mentioned a bit of the history of the Donkin memorial in a previous blog.
http://fuzzypandaonthemove.blogspot.co.za/2017/12/road-trip-day-30-port-elizaberh.html
The Donkin reserve itself received an extensive makeover in 2011 and 2012. Outdoor artworks and  a tall flagpole were added. When we were in PE on a previous occasion we saw the huge flag being lowered with ceremony by the Prince Alfred's Guards. This time, however, there was no sign of it. The attendants at the tourist office couldn't tell us what had happened to it.

We could enjoy the artworks however. The MBDA's route 67 consists of 67 public Art Works symbolising Nelson Mandela's 67 years of work dedicated to the Freedom of South Africa. There are also 67 steps leading up to the flag pole.

The mosaics on the sides of the steps make pictures

along the side of the lowest steps

Fish-Bird by published poet and former art lecturer Dolla Sepeta who was inspired by the birds that visit the Donkin Reserve as well as the site's view of Algoa Bay. The "Fish-Bird" is 3.8m high, has a wing span of 5m and stretches 6m from tail to head.

My favourite art work was "Election Queue" by The Workplace Architects.  It is made of metal and represents the long line of voters at the 1994 elections.

It snakes down a curved sloping pathway around the flagpole, getting smaller and smaller for perspective, ending at infinity.

I also appreciated the Piazza mosaic by the NMMU ceramic collective. This 470 square meter mosaic represents the multi-cultural and diverse histories of the area as well the diverse fauna and flora.

After descending the 67 steps we saw the St Mary's Cathedral (Not very imposing looking) which opened in 1832 and, not far away, the Main Library.

The building was opened in 1902 and is said to be an excellent example of late Victorian public architecture.
In front of the library is a statue of  Queen Victoria by E Roscoe Mullins of London. In the spate of defacing and removing statues a couple of years ago, it was painted red but has since been restored.

Across the way is the City Hall, built between 1858 and 1861 from the designs of Mr Robert Archibald who became the first Town Engineer when Port Elizabeth was granted Borough status in 1860.
The building was gutted by fire in 1977 and many valuable paintings were lost in the blaze.
It was restored and re opened in 1981.

We turned at the Feather Market Hall which is a conference centre and concert hall but we didn't find an entrance so we couldn't see inside. Then it was up the steep Castle Hill where the pavement is actually a staircase. We were even applauded by a resident for getting up. We were nearly at the top when we noticed a sign saying "Museum" across the road and we side-tracked, grateful for some level ground.

It was No 7 Castle Hill and one of the oldest dwellings in Port Elizabeth and was built for Rev Francis McCleland, the first Colonial Chaplain. The interior presents a picture of domestic life such as may have been enjoyed by any English middle-class family in mid 19th Century Port Elizabeth.

Spirit kettle 1858

Roll top desk of American Oak. 1856. I loved the tiny drawers - just right for paper clips, elastic bands etc.

An underground water tank, filled with rain water run-ff from the roof was the only water supply.

And hand pump

All these old houses have commodes which, for people living in a motor-home with a porta-loo, seems very natural.

After enjoying the old word tranquility, we continued with out walk which was slightly less steep from then on.