Kimberley - To call the town Toverberg (enchanted mountain) seemed appropriate. After all, it was named after a nearby hill of the same name – so why change it? Policy, however, often dictated that places be named after some famous person. Consequently, the little town acquired a more mundane title: Colesberg.
In this way it paid tribute to Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, one-time governor of the Cape Colony. Even the hill became known as much less romantic Coleskop.
Back in 1830, traders, hunters and explorers passed through here on their way to the interior, so it was decided to establish a settlement on an abandoned outpost of the London Missionary Society.
The area saw many skirmishes during the Anglo-Boer War, and a garden of remembrance just outside the town is a reminder of those days of turmoil.
Strolling around the town, a visitor can see many buildings in a blend of Cape Dutch and Georgian architecture, with ceilings of reed, and yellowwood timber.
With no place in mind to spend the night, I took a walk on a sultry summer afternoon, trying to decide which appealed the most. Peaceful Guinea Fowl Guest House seemed inviting. Situated on a small rocky outcrop, with a stream running by, it has an attractive garden with succulents.
Towerberg Guest House, with a beautifully restored Karoo townhouses in a quiet, historic street, also seemed alluring.
Two old men sitting outside a restaurant, drinking tea, added to the atmosphere. We chatted for a while, before I moved on, to take in the huge white Dutch Reformed Church, dating back to 1826 – a focal point of the town.
The Kemper Museum has wonderful latticework; and a charming wrought-iron bridge crossing a stream in a tiny park was impossible to resist; so back and forth I crossed.
Several 1820 Settlers established farms in the Colesberg district. Some attended the Methodist Church, others the Dutch Reformed Church, where services were held in English to accommodate them.
Eventually the Anglican Christ Church (designed by Sophy Gray, the wife of Cape Town’s bishop, Robert Gray) was built. Now it is almost completely covered in ivy.
Many of the country’s top merino sheep are bred here and the area is renowned for producing famous racehorses.
Some years ago we stayed in one of Kuilfontein Stable Cottages’ charmingly converted stables, in a cobbled yard. It was fabulous, especially when, during a sunrise walk, we came across three magnificent stallions in the veld.
With the sun still high in the sky, I decided not to spend the night here, but to go further afield.
l Contacts: Guinea Fowl Guest House 051 753 0197; Towerberg Guest House 072 427 2934; Kuilfontein Stable Cottages 051 753 1364.
Sunday Tribune