Colesberg

Colesberg
—  Town  —
Colesberg Main Street
Colesberg
Coordinates: 30°43′00″S 25°06′00″E / 30.7166667°S 25.1°E / -30.7166667; 25.1Coordinates: 30°43′00″S 25°06′00″E / 30.7166667°S 25.1°E / -30.7166667; 25.1
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District municipality	Pixley ka Seme
Local municipality	Umsobomvu
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

Colesberg is a town with 17,354 inhabitants in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, located on the main road from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

In a sheep-farming area spread over half-a-million hectares, greater Colesberg breeds many of the country’s top merinos. It is also renowned for producing high-quality racehorses and many stud farms, including one owned by legendary golfer, Gary Player, are nearby.

History

Founded in 1830 on an abandoned station of the London Missionary Society, it was named after Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, then Governor of the Cape Colony. The site of the town lay on one of the well-travelled routes used by traders, hunters and explorers to gain access to the interior. Towerberg or Coleskop is a prominent hill near the town and a landmark easily seen from a distance by travellers. Colesberg saw a large number of battles and skirmishes during the second Anglo-Boer War, and the Colesberg Garden of Remembrance is located just outside the town.

Another view of part of the main street

A number of 1820 Settlers established farms in the Colesberg district. Outnumbered as a religious group, some attended the Methodist Church and others the Dutch Reformed Church, where services in English were specially held for them. Anglican officials in Cape Town appointed Dr CEH Orpen as Rector and the first services were conducted in the Court House and the London Mission Chapel, which became known as St Stephen's Church. In 1852 the construction of the Anglican Christ Church was started, having been designed by Sophy Gray, wife of the Cape Town bishop Robert Gray.

The town boasts many buildings that were built in a blend of Cape Dutch and Georgian architecture with ceilings of reed, and yellowwood timbers, and others that display a range of designs reflecting the changes of 19th century building. Originally plots were pegged out and sold on the site of the town to fund the building of the Dutch Reformed church.

Economy

Farming in the area is dedicated almost entirely to horses and merino sheep, while In a sheep-farming area spread over half-a-million hectares, greater Colesberg breeds many of the country’s top merinos. It is also renowned for producing high-quality racehorses and many stud farms, including one owned by legendary golfer, Gary Player, are nearby. The ostrich-feather boom of the early 1900s, which left many farmers rich is forgotten.

The town also has a thriving tourist industry. There are is a hotel, a motel, and a large number of Guest Houses, B&Bs etc. in the town, and a number of restaurants and pubs. There are also a number of guest farms in the district offering accommodation with 4x4 trails, mountain bike trails, hunting (mainly Springbuck) and bird watching etc. There are also three major Service Stations with on-site shops and restaurants on the N1 near Colesberg. ESKOM (South Africa's state electricity provider) has an office and a depot in the town, and services a large area surrounding the town. There are also a number of small industries in the town, including a sheep abbatoir, a factory which makes a range of furniture, and also makes furniture to order and a panel beating business.

The Doornkloof Nature Reserve is located near Colesberg on the confluence of the Orange and Seekoei Rivers.

External links

• Colesberg South Africa
• Colesberg site