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Major General Woodgate’s grave – St John’s Mooi River
Interested Military Historians may need to start considering how to protect important Military graves and this one is no exception. The St John’s Church has been abandoned and is now a Pre-School. The...
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Estcourt – St Mathews Anglican Church
Architecturally and with the many stained-glass windows, this natural sandstone 1882 Church is one of my favorites in KZN. The ambiance from the natural light seeping through the windows gives the...
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Addington Hospital Nurses’ Home
This present Government is intending to introduce a National Health Scheme (NHS), which is a noble ambition. However it cant even do the basics in maintaining its present infrastructure and look after...
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Kokstad’s St Patricks’ Cathedral
Another of our National Gems is St Patrick’s Cathedral built in 1924, in Hope Street ,Kokstad. If you are passing through, do yourself a favour and visit this wonderful cathedral. You wont be...
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Fordoun Hotel & Spa
Fordoun Hotel and Spa, like all hospitality businesses is feeling the chill wind of the Covid 19 lock-down. They have opened up their trails to the public and provide sumptuous picnic baskets to...
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Saving House Biermann (Barrie) – Glenwood Drive an Appeal.
House Biermann – Spiral cast iron stairway Barrie Biermann (1924 – 1991) who spent much of his working life teaching at the School of Architecture, built a home for himself in Glenwood that became...
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Tala Game Reserve – Umlaas Road.
After five weeks of lock-down it was great to spend a day with a picnic in this game reserve and enjoy the game and flora. A bonus was that the manager allowed us to picnic on the veranda of their...
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Mary Stainbank – Della Robbia Sculpting – Addington Children’s Hospital
Addington Children’s Hospital entrance 2010 with Della Robbia above door. Sketch by Mary Stainbank in design of sculpture for the Children’s Hospital. The sketch for the sculpture above the Prince...
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Durban – Hollis House – 178 Florida Road
It’s a nice change to see that the Edwardian, Hollis House built, by Jack George Hollis has been restored (2020). Prior to this the house had been severely burnt, restored and then left in a state of...
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Moses Mabhida Stadium and Statue
A visit to Moses Mabhida Stadium after 6 months of lockdown is interesting. The screen panels continue to disappear. I noticed this started in 2005, a mere 5 years after the stadium was built. The Sky...
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Durban North WWII Gun Battery
Someone has been very busy clearing up this WWII Gun Battery site and exposing some of the remaining structures like the observation tower, Bunkers and gun platform. This space is large and could be...
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SATORI AFRICA – SOME HOT IDEAS FOR LOCAL SA TRAVEL
My son, Mark Bland, has a travel business Satori Africa ( http://www.satoriafrica.co.za ) and he has put together some hot travel ideas for you. If they don’t meet your needs drop him a line at...
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Natal Command and Mary Stainbank.
The former Natal Command HQ was sold under dubious circumstances nearly 20 years ago and the dispute as to ownership continues to this day. All that remains is the front façade and the collapsing...
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Steward Shaik Hassan’s grave in Durban North Muslim Cemetery.
To the south of the Pick n Pay Hyper in Durban North is the Muslim Cemetery. Within the cemetery is the sole and lonely military grave of Steward Belal Hassan. Hassan was a crew member of HMS Trent who...
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Colinton – 68 Ridge Road, Durban.
Sir David Hunter KCMG 1841-1914 Colinton House on Durban’s Berea was built by Sir David Hunter KCMG in 1898 on a piece of land described as Bock Z of Townlands which at the time was on the outskirts of...
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Rietvlei Methodist Church – 1877.
The Rietvlei Methodist Church lies between Craigieburn Dam tributaries, a small stone church with a cemetery, many of the graves now having vanished. Those graves that remain are families like the...
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Martyr’s Cross – Eshowe
The Martyr’s Cross a few kilometers to the east of Eshowe, is on a hill overlooking Gingindlovu and the distant Indian Ocean. The cross is on the site where Maqhamusela Khanyile was sacrificed on 9...
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Kloof’s Graffiti
Often graffiti artists are vilified, however some of these people are artists of note. The Kloof rail overpass has been decorated in fine style. The vibrance and detail of this work is truly reflective...
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Annie (Nee Emmett) and Louis Botha
My Great Great Grandfather Josiah Benjamin Adam Bland, who arrived in SA and married Catharina Frederika du Plessis, of French Huguenot and Boer descent. Their daughter Helena Aletta Bland married...
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Inkamana Abbey – Vryheid
The Abbey church completed in 1952 It was a call from Brother Michael from Inkamana Abbey that alerted me to the Abbeys’ existence. He was wanting my book on the Trappist Missions of KwaZulu-Natal...
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