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Built from local sandstone, the neoclassical church, with its Doric pillared portico and imposing steeple, is similar in design to the church of St Martin-in-the Fields in London. One of South Africa’s greatest authors, Olive Schreiner, lived in Cradock between 1867 and 1870 in a flat-roofed cottage which has been turned into a museum devoted to her life. Her grave lies on Buffelskop to the south of the town, and can be reached along a 17-km drive.
Another attraction is the Karoo Sulphur Spring on the western outskirts of the town. Water from the mineral-rich spring, which has a flow of 4 500 litres of water per hour and a temperature of 31° C, is fed into a swimming pool. COOKHO--...lies on the western bank of the Great Fish River, which demarcated the eastern boundary of the Cape Colony until 1819. One explanation of its name is that it referred to a small stone house used as a shelter for the preparation of meals by British troops stationed along the river. Another interpretation is that the name refers to the hot conditions endured by the soldiers. SOMERSET EAST...a charming South African holiday town in the country with oak-lined trees, was laid out on the banks of the Little Fish River in 1825 and named after Governor Lord Charles Somerset. Situated below the Bosberg, the town lies at the centre of a productive sheep and angora farming district. It has several fine examples of Eastern Province Georgian buildings, among them the Old Officers’ Mess, built in 1815 by Somerset himself. As a tribute to the South African artist, Walter Batiss, who grew up in Somerset East, the building houses a permanent collection of his art. Also of interest is the Somerset East Museum, with its splendid rose garden and oak trees. Built in 1818, the stately house served as a residence, a drostdy (magistrate’s court) and as a parsonage. The museum, furnished in the style of a late-19th-century clergyman’s home, depicts the history of the town and surrounding district as far back as 1770. PLAINS OF CAMDEBOOBeyond the Bruintjieshoogte Mountains, the vast Plains of Camdeboo stretch westwards to the Camdeboo Mountains which lie northwest of Aberdeen. It has been suggested that the Khoikhoi name means ‘green hollow’ or ‘green hole’, a reference to a hippo pool surrounded by lush greenery. The first loan farms in the Camdeboo were given out in 1770, and in 1785 it was incorporated into the newly proclaimed district of Graaff-Reinet. The author, Eve Palmer, gave a vivid description of life in the Camdeboo in her book, The Plains of Camdeboo (1966). |
