Where does the name Merriman Street come from? John X Merriman was a British politician who became Prime Minister of the previous Cape Colony in 1908. Here he is seen sitting on the stoep with his wife, friends, servants and dogs. He wasn’t a life long Stellenbosch resident, but is often associated with theRead more about Who was Merriman of Merriman street in Stellenbosch?[…]
Van Riebeeck street lies between Plein street and Jonkershoekweg. One of Stellenbosch’s heritage writers, Mrs Annie Hofmeyr, wrote a book about the street, tracing its history house by house. Different names She explains that Van Riebeeck street has had 3 different names. Names like ‘church street’ and ‘Andringa’ are much older (read about themRead more about The story of Van Riebeeck street[…]
What do the four earliest streets in Stellenbosch tell us about what people valued at the time? Dorp street – the unofficial first Dorp street, ‘de wapad naar de Caab’, joined the Cape to Stellenbosch and was one of the first roads to develop. This was the main trade route for farmers wanting to sell wine, wheatRead more about The earliest streets in Stellenbosch[…]
In the 1800s Plein Street was one of the grandest streets in Stellenbosch, with rows of Victorian double story houses. But since it was part of Stellenbosch’s CBD, the street’s older buildings soon gave way to development. Today there are only a few remnants of its early history. The ‘Poortjie’ Have you ever noticed that there isRead more about The story of Plein Street[…]
