Not all street names proved to be popular and were often controversial for residents. When Central Avenue was constructed, three street name plates were made for its original name, Stuttaford Ave, and installed. The next morning all three nameplates had been removed and were lying on the ground. A resident wrote a letter to Garden […]
Prior to the founding of Pinelands there was a gravel road that led through the forest to the Maitland Cemetery. Maps of the time aptly named this sandy road, Cemetery Road. With the establishment of Pinelands, this became commonly referred to as Pinelands Drive before being officially named Forest Drive. Forest Drive was intended for
Princess Alice, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Jan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa, not only featured in the early life of Pinelands with roads named after them in Pinelands but both enjoyed mountain climbing. This is illustrated by a story given when they visited Bains Kloof. While the group they were with travelled
For decades Pinelands was often in the daily newspapers, the Cape Times and Cape Argus. These clippings were collected and collated by Pineland’s resident Mr Croxford and were donated to the Garden Cities Museum. While the Pinelands Town council generally enjoyed a good relationship with the daily press, it decided in 1959 to stop a
Preserving heritage in Pinelands takes many forms. It could be preserving whole areas or individual memorials. Some memorials are buildings such as the SAWAS Home and the Clareinch Home, but it is rumoured that both of these buildings are to be demolished. There is a statue to Wolraad Woltemade although he was not directly linked
The first Post Office in Pinelands was opened in 1926 and was housed in the original Garden Cities Trust office on the left side Forest Drive where the Raapenberg Bridge now stands. At the time Forest Drive was a gravel road with a level crossing over the railway line. The lease was for one year
Pinelands residents had expressed their concerned about low-flying aircraft. Their fears were confirmed on a mid-afternoon Monday, 26 November 1956. Regina Barten and Marie Roe, both aged 10 years, had often played together on the wide grassed island between Morningside and Avonduur, adjacent to Julianveld. While they played Regina had noticed a Venture Bomber, used
Pinelands had its own independent library which was funded by annual subscriptions and operated by volunteers. It was first housed in the home of Mrs Carter in Acacia Way from May 1924. It started with gifts of books and 50 books bought at Darters sale for one shilling each. Within four months, with a
Pinelands had its own Gretna Green complete with a marriage anvil and marriage certificates. It was part of the Pinelands Old World Country Fayres that were held in the early 1940s with the aim of raising funds for the Mayor’s National War Fund. The first fair was held in April 1940 over three days on
An article in the July 1993 issue of the South African magazine Signature started with the sentence “Recent excavations at Pinelands in the Cape have raised the speculation that Phoenicians may have sailed around the Cape in Ancient times.” In 1806 there were rumours that fossilised remains of an old galley had been found on
