Queenstown

Queenstown is situated in the Frontier Country of the Eastern Cape

Queenstown is situated in the Frontier Country of the Eastern Cape. Queenstown is the commercial, administrative and educational centre of a prosperous farming district. The layout of Queenstown reflects its original objective as a defensive stronghold for the frontier area and has a most unusual design. There is a central hexagonal area where cannon or rifle fire could be directed down 6 thoroughfares radiating from the centre. The canon sites have now been replaced with gardens and a central fountain is the dominant feature.

Queenstown lies on the Komani River and has a refreshing climate and plentiful water supply from the surrounding rugged mountains. The water is collected in Bongolo Dam, set in the hills, used extensively for recreation and watersports. Each year, around the beginning of June, Queenstown holds an art exhibition with the emphasis on paintings and sculpture. Perhaps inspired by some of the most interesting Bushman paintings in nearby caves, which are accessible to the visitor. Close to Queenstown is a nature reserve with numerous antelopes and spectacular flowering plants together with panoramic views from the mountain summit.

Queenstown was proclaimed by Sir Harry Smith in 1847 and officially founded by Sir George Cathcart in 1853. It was named after Queen Victoria. Arts and Culture: Museum lovers will be intrigued by the Queenstown and Frontier Museums which have a Victorian stone drinking fountain for horses and an example of a 1921 steam locomotive. Those interested in fine art will enjoy the Shell Art Gallery, while the Collector's Museum is a fascinating display of unique collections ranging from car badges to cacti

Queenstown, named in honour of Queen Victoria, is deservedly also known as the ‘Queen of the Border’ and the ‘Rose Capital of South Africa’. Proclaimed in 1847 by Sir Harry Smith, the original hexagonal layout is unique in the world and was planned to enable the defence of the settlement along each of the streets, radiating like the spokes of a wagon wheel from the central point. Fortunately it was never necessary to fire a shot in anger. Subsequently, the Hexagon became the market place and later, with it’s beautiful fountain and gardens, was declared a national monument. Founded in 1853, Queenstown has grown into a thriving town, the centre of the Border hinterland and the largest town between East London and Bloemfontein, known throughout the country as an educational, business, agcricultural and administrative centre. Some of South Africa’s best sheep, cattle, goat and horse studs are found here. This is borne out by the fact that the Border Agricultural Society is centered in Queenstown, having been in existence since 1860. The annual show early in October has come to be regarded among the top five agricultural shows in the country.

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there

Bloemfontein 350 km, East London 200 km, Port Elizabeth 350 km

Altitude: 1070 m above sea level

Average Rainfall: 550 m per annum

Banks

Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Standard

Mountains

Hogsback, Katberg

Rivers

Komani

HISTORICAL VIEW

San Rock Art

There are many rock walls in the region decorated with ancient and interesting Bushman paintings, which even today confound scientists in their efforts to analyse the paint used by these wrinkled little people and astound them with the durability thereof, particularly in view of the fact that the oldest dated paintings were done 27 000 years ago. All these ancient sites are protected by the National Monument Act. Visitors are reminded that wetting the paintings is very detrimental and are earnestly requested not in any way to damage this priceless heritage left to us by the San tribes so many years ago. Excellent and easily accessible examples of Bushman art may be seen a few hundred metres downstream from the wall of the Waterdown Dam, Queenstown’s major source of water, on the Klipplaat River near Whittlesea.

Collector’s Museum

The museum is rapidly becoming a well known attraction throughout South Africa and further afield. The home of Rex Abbotr, this resident of Queenstown started off by collecting car badges, but now his home is filled with a mind boggling array of telephones, antique kitchen utensils, teaspoons, dolls and a myriad of other items, while the garden houses an impressive collection of cacti and succulents. This collection of car badges is said to be the biggest in the world – and all the work of one man.

Old Market Building

The building on the west side of the Hexagon which now houses the Business Plaza complex 1850’s. After falling into disuse, the market building was saved by public pressure and declared a national monument. In 1989 the building was restored and redeveloped by the Small Business Development Corporation and now comprises 24 cottage style shops

National Monuments Town Hall

The foundation stone was laid in 1882, with the clock tower added in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. In addition to being the venue for theatrical and other productions, it also houses the municipal offices and is the seat of the Town Council – the purpose for which it was built.

Frontier Museum

In Shepstone Street, opposite the Memorial Gardens, was built as a school but now houses, among many other interesting exhibits, a fully rebuilt and furnished frontier cottage. In the grounds is a 1921 British built steam locomotive that was used to pull the ‘Royal’ train when King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret visited Queenstown in 1947. There is also a stone drinking fountain for horses, dating back to the Victorian era. The history of the area is exceptionally well documented and illustrated in a most interesting manner.

Queen’s College

The original part of Queen’s College in Berry Street, which in autumn is a magnificent sight in it’s mantle of Virginia creeper, is another reminder of the town’s proud heritage.

Hexagon

Now a focal point of Cathcart Road, the town’s main street, is always an attractive sight with it’s beautiful gardens, walkways, fountain and war memorial.

Places of Worship

The earliest church to be built in Queenstown, and still used as such, is the imposing.

Wesley Methodist Church

In Eben Street, for which the foundation stone was laid in 1880. Stonemasons in these parts must have been busy men in those days, for this beautiful building, with it’s towering spire, is yet another example of their craftsmanship. It is interesting to note that the cost of the church, together with a new manse and a Sunday school room was ten thousand pounds. A second, smaller Methodist church, the West End Church, was built in Cathcart Road in 1883 and it, too, is still in use today. While Queenstown is well served by places of worship catering for all denominations.

St Michael and All Angels’ Church

In Robinson Road is possibly the most outstanding. Originally begun in what is now the church hall in 1854, the foundation stone of this imposing local sandstone building was laid in 1882. The award winning design, resulting from an architectural competition, features a magnificent square tower housing an impressive ring of bells, the largest of which weighs a ton and a quarter and is one of the three largest in the country. St Michael’s is also the proud owner of the oldest stained glass window in South Africa (imported in 1860) while the gold leaf reredos (imported in 1920) is a magnificent example of this ancient art. Although services of the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk, or Dutch Reformed Church, were held in Queenstown from 1854, the foundation stone for the elegant sandstone building in Robinson Road was only laid much later, in 1924. the old church building was then used as the church hall. This congregation had, as it’s church warden, a man with a most interesting claim to fame – Desirez Mesdom, born in Yperen, Belguim. In 1815 Mesdom’s father was a member of Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo. Desirez, who was eight years old at the time, was at their cottage on the edge of the battlefield with his mother when Napoleon rode up and spoke to them. He came to South Africa in 1857 amd settled in Queenstown where he died in 1910 at the age of 107, and was buried in the local cemetery. A second NG congregation, now known as Queenstown Tuine (Gardens), was later established in a much more modern building near the Walter Everitt gardens, the cornerstone for which was laid in 1955. Presbyterian services were first held in the old town hall from 1863 and the following year Ebenezer Crouch brought doors and windows from England for the planned new church building, together with a baptismal font. The church was completed in 1865. A hundred years later, in the early 1960’s, it became evident that the old building had deteriorated badly and only answer was demolition. However, the original tower, reputed to be the oldest piece of sandstone work in Queenstown, was retained and still stands in the grounds of the new St Columba’s Prebyterian Church, designed by architects Neil Lucas and Cyril Crouch, great grandson of Ebenezer, and opened in 1968. Roman Catholics first worshipped in the church of St Dominic, which was completed on the corner of Robinson Road and Zeiler Street in 1894. This building, which still stands, later became part of the Convent of the Sacred Heart and subsequently – when the school closed – the complex was sold as offices. In 1948 Monsignor JB Rosenthal was consecrated as the first bishop of Queenstown and the new Cathedral of Christ the King, with a tower 38 m high, was commissioned in 1959. The strained glass and gold work in the Cathedral were made in Germany, as were the three bells, named Faith, Hope and Charity. Early services of the Baptist Church were held on a farm in the district and later in the town hall, until a school building in Eben Street was acquired in 1898 for conversion as a church. Although the earliest Jewish tombstone in the cemetery is dated 1884, one Simeon Jacobs was Queenstown’s Member of Parliament from 1874 to 1877. The first Hebrew congregation was housed at 74 Robinson Road, but by 1920 these premises were too small and an old suitably converted. In 1960 this building was demolished and a new Synagogue erected in it’s place. A great event in the history of the Queenstown Jewish community was the visit in 1932 of Dr Chaim Weitzman, who was to become the first president of the state of Israel on it’s inception after World War Two. Although Lutheran services had been conducted in Queenstown since soon after the arrival in the Eastern Cape of the German settlers of 1858, there was no church building until St Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Laurie Dashwood Park was opened in 1986. Adherents of other denominations also meet regularly in town.

NATURE

Bongolo Dam

The Bongolo Dam, about 5 km from town on the Lady Frere road, is one of the town’s main sources of water. Construction of the wall was begun in 1905 and was for many years the largest concrete dam wall in South Africa. Incidentally the origin of the name ‘Bongolo’ has caused some controversy, but it is believed by some to have been derived from the Xhosa word ‘mbongolo’ meaning donkey, as these animals were extensively used in the construction of the dam. Now a popular recreational spot, the beauty of the dam is enhanced by the close proximity of hills which hold the expanse of water in a deep basin. The dam has picnic spots under shady trees and the tea room at the Queenstown Power and Yacht Club premises provides teas and light meals at weekends during the summer months. The dam is widely utilised for all forms of water sport such as yachting, power boating, water skiing and wind surfing, while the annual ‘Anything That Floats’ event is a highlight of the recreational calendar. The day normally starts off with a champagne breakfast and culminates in the crowning of ‘Miss Bongolo’ and attracts most of the town’s inhabitants who thoroughly enjoy the fun and hilarity. The dam is also stocked wiwth black bass and bluegill.

Lawrence De Lange

In addition to numerous species of game including eland, gemsbok, kudu, blesbok, springbok, ostrich, zebra, Indian water buffalo, wildebeest and many others, the reserve is home to the indigenous Aloe Ferox, which is a magnificent sight in winter; when it is fully clad in scarlet. In summer, the tamboekie thorn (Erythrina acanthocarpa), also known as ‘wag-‘n-bietjie’ (‘wait a minute’ – as it’s hooked thorns make progress difficult) which is unique to this area, adds it’s colour to the many species of acacia which are covered in yellow flowers. The reserve is open daily throughout the year, except when excessively wet weather precludes safe travel.

Longhill Nature Reserve

On the northern boundary of the town lies the aptly named Longhill. Entry to this area may be obtained through a gate opposite the Lawrence de Lange entrance and the drive includes delightful picnic spots offering pleasant views of the town, while several species of antelope and other wild animals are to be seen along the roadside. Several specimens of the cycad species indigenous to this area, Encephalartos fridirichi guiliemix, may be seen on both these mountain drives, but the finest group of specimens is found at Fincham’s Nek, a short way out of town in a southerly direction. The rate of growth of these ‘living fossils’ is said to between 6 mm and 8 mm a year, making a trunk of 1,8 m tall about 300 years old.

ATTRACTIONS

Berry Reservoir

Off the end of Milner Street is virtually within the residential area and provides a beautiful, tranquil haven for picnickers, fisherman and casual strolling.

JC Marshall Art Gallery

To be found in an imposing old house in Ebden Street and houses numerous impressive original works of art and sculpture, many being the works of local artists. An art exhibition, held annually in May, attracts many of South Africa’s best known artists from across the country

Old Market Business Plaza

The Business Plaza is directed at creating opportunities for new entrepreneurs to establish small businesses and craft workshops. The Old Market Plaza also provides a focus for a variety of social and cultural activities. Exhibitions of art and craft are held and the complex also arranges a number of events and contests.

Rose Capital

Famous for roses

Shell Art Gallery

No visitors to Queenstown should ever leave without seeing the world renowned gallery of Ruth Lock at 1 Lamont Street in Westbourne. This modest woman has painstakingly and lovingly, over many years, created a wonderland from seashells, with not a singe drop of artificial colouring ever marring the beauty of nature’s palette. There are delicate and intricate scenes from fairy tales to delight all ages and in her extended gallery she has created beautiful pictures, mostly depicting nature, by glueing crushed shells, all in their natural colours, to her canvasses. A glance at her visitor’s book will reveal the extent to which her fame has spread worldwide in spite of her modesty, as eager, viewers (many of them rich and famous) have insisted on including her exhibition in their itinerary.

Tsolwana Game Ranch

The ranch carries over 3 000 head of game, including rhinoceros, eland and giraffe which the visitor can be assured of seeing, thanks to well trained guides. Hunting facilities are available and accommodation is provided in lovely, comfortable old farmsteads, fully appointed as lodges. Attractions include tribal dancing, night excursions, bird watching, trout fishing, hiking trails, Bushman paintings and wildlife photography. Fully catered or self catering options are available. Several other private farmers offer trophy hunting on their properties and there are some who conduct safaris to other parts of the country. The area has become well known even among hunters from overseas, many of whom have returned more than once – and not only to hunt the Vaal Rhebok (Pelea capreolus) which is indigenous to this area.

Walter Everitt Sunken Gardens

ACTIVITIES

Bird Watching

At the Bongolo Dam, Lawrence de Lange Game Reserve, Tsolwana Game Ranch.

Clay Pigeon Shooting

Fishing – Bongola Dam

Game Viewing – Lawrence de Lange Game Reserve

Hiking

For the more energetic, two newly established

Aloe Walking Trail

Originate from the return to the waterside at the BerryReservior. Well laid out and signposted, there’s a shorter one taking about three-quarters of an hour for the casual stroller and a longer walk of about 2 hours for the more serious hiker, both offering marvelous views of Queenstown

Accommodation in and around Queenstown