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Wynberg, Cape Town
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Wynberg, Cape Town
Wynberg (/ˈwaɪnbɜːrɡ/ WYNE-burg) is a southern suburb of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated between Plumstead and Kenilworth, and is a main transport hub for the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town.
In the 1650s, Jan van Riebeeck's farm Boscheuvel, where he planted the Cape's first vineyards and was the first to produce wine in the Cape, was located in the greater Wynberg area close to the slopes of Table Mountain. In 1683 land along the Liesbeek River was granted to Herman Weeckens by Simon van der Stel. The farm was named De Oude Wijnbergh (Old Wine Mountain). The Cape's rough seas in the winter months led to a formal winter anchorage in 1743 where ships would dock at Simons' Baai (present day Simon's Town). A wagon route linking Cape Town to Simon's Town went over the hill adjacent to De Oude Wjinbergh estate.
When the British took control of the Cape settlement on 16 Sept 1795 the small farming area of Wynberg developed rapidly into a garrison town, as the British settled a large number of troops in the area. A notable settler was Alexander Tennant who built a house still standing, named Sonnebloem. At Wynberg the Dutch had earlier made a show of resistance, but they were soon driven from their post by the British. Wynberg was a convenient halfway point between Table Bay and False Bay and this led to a hub of commercial activity. The authorities had allotted places where large teams of oxen could be unyoked and graze which made this possible. The village provided farmers with an alternative to the market in Cape Town. As more farms were subdivided commercial and residential properties began to increase.
Diplomat Edmund Roberts passed through Wynberg in 1833. He described it as being "beautiful," and being "adorned with a great number of gentlemen's seats, and neat cottages, the avenues leading to them having well-trimmed hedges of myrtle and oak..." The famous astronomer John Herschel lived at Wynberg between 1834 and 1838, where he set up a telescope in nearby Claremont to study the southern hemisphere skies, and also did some botanical work on South African flowers together with his wife Margaret. In addition, it was in Wynberg that the young Charles Darwin met Herschel in 1836, a meeting which considerably influenced Darwin's later work.[citation needed]
By the 1850 a significantly large Muslim community had become established in the area with a Muslim graveyard established in 1848, thirty-six years later, in 1886, the Yusafaya mosque was constructed.
In 1861 the Wynberg Railway Company was established and a railway connecting the village to Cape Town was completed in 1865, serviced by a CGR 4-4-0 “Wynberg Tank” locomotive. In 1876 the company was bought by the Cape government, its railway tracks converted to Cape gauge and the line extended to Muizenberg six years later. The opening of the railway played in important part in transforming the village into a satellite town from which commuters could easily travel to Cape Town.
From 1891 to 1904 the Wynberg experienced a period of rapid growth and expanding infrastructure, many of which were driven by the towns mayor James Bisset. The 1891 census recorded a population of 4,952, and by the time of the 1904 Cape census Wynberg had a total population of 13,697 with the greater Wynberg municipal area having a population of 20,404 residents. The population boom during this period was likely fueled by the Boer War and the growth of the Wynberg Military Base.
Battswood School was established in Wynberg in 1891 by Martha Grey. One of South Africa's first electric power plants was built in Wynberg on Electric Road in 1893 to provide power to a local tram system and public streetlights. In 1902 King Edward Park, now known as Wynberg Park, was opened. The 1890s also saw the securing of a municipal water supply from Table Mountain and the municipal wide installation of a waterborne sewage system.
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Wynberg, Cape Town
Wynberg (/ˈwaɪnbɜːrɡ/ WYNE-burg) is a southern suburb of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated between Plumstead and Kenilworth, and is a main transport hub for the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town.
In the 1650s, Jan van Riebeeck's farm Boscheuvel, where he planted the Cape's first vineyards and was the first to produce wine in the Cape, was located in the greater Wynberg area close to the slopes of Table Mountain. In 1683 land along the Liesbeek River was granted to Herman Weeckens by Simon van der Stel. The farm was named De Oude Wijnbergh (Old Wine Mountain). The Cape's rough seas in the winter months led to a formal winter anchorage in 1743 where ships would dock at Simons' Baai (present day Simon's Town). A wagon route linking Cape Town to Simon's Town went over the hill adjacent to De Oude Wjinbergh estate.
When the British took control of the Cape settlement on 16 Sept 1795 the small farming area of Wynberg developed rapidly into a garrison town, as the British settled a large number of troops in the area. A notable settler was Alexander Tennant who built a house still standing, named Sonnebloem. At Wynberg the Dutch had earlier made a show of resistance, but they were soon driven from their post by the British. Wynberg was a convenient halfway point between Table Bay and False Bay and this led to a hub of commercial activity. The authorities had allotted places where large teams of oxen could be unyoked and graze which made this possible. The village provided farmers with an alternative to the market in Cape Town. As more farms were subdivided commercial and residential properties began to increase.
Diplomat Edmund Roberts passed through Wynberg in 1833. He described it as being "beautiful," and being "adorned with a great number of gentlemen's seats, and neat cottages, the avenues leading to them having well-trimmed hedges of myrtle and oak..." The famous astronomer John Herschel lived at Wynberg between 1834 and 1838, where he set up a telescope in nearby Claremont to study the southern hemisphere skies, and also did some botanical work on South African flowers together with his wife Margaret. In addition, it was in Wynberg that the young Charles Darwin met Herschel in 1836, a meeting which considerably influenced Darwin's later work.[citation needed]
By the 1850 a significantly large Muslim community had become established in the area with a Muslim graveyard established in 1848, thirty-six years later, in 1886, the Yusafaya mosque was constructed.
In 1861 the Wynberg Railway Company was established and a railway connecting the village to Cape Town was completed in 1865, serviced by a CGR 4-4-0 “Wynberg Tank” locomotive. In 1876 the company was bought by the Cape government, its railway tracks converted to Cape gauge and the line extended to Muizenberg six years later. The opening of the railway played in important part in transforming the village into a satellite town from which commuters could easily travel to Cape Town.
From 1891 to 1904 the Wynberg experienced a period of rapid growth and expanding infrastructure, many of which were driven by the towns mayor James Bisset. The 1891 census recorded a population of 4,952, and by the time of the 1904 Cape census Wynberg had a total population of 13,697 with the greater Wynberg municipal area having a population of 20,404 residents. The population boom during this period was likely fueled by the Boer War and the growth of the Wynberg Military Base.
Battswood School was established in Wynberg in 1891 by Martha Grey. One of South Africa's first electric power plants was built in Wynberg on Electric Road in 1893 to provide power to a local tram system and public streetlights. In 1902 King Edward Park, now known as Wynberg Park, was opened. The 1890s also saw the securing of a municipal water supply from Table Mountain and the municipal wide installation of a waterborne sewage system.
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