Eastern Cape Provincial Article - South African Vacations

ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING
Big Pineapple Country House and Conference Centre: Situated on an 1820
Settler farm just outside the town, the centre is indicated by a 16,7-m-high
fibreglass replica of a pineapple, the area’s principal crop. The farm has a
renovated barn housing a pub, coffee shop and gift shop. Visitors may climb
to the top of the Big Pineapple for a scenic view of Bathurst.
The Curiosity Shoppe: The shop offers an old-style shopping experience,
allowing the visitor to browse through the shelves of curios, sweets,
collectables and objets d’art.
HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Anglican and Methodist Churches: Typical examples of 1820 Settler
architecture, the churches served as religious institutions and retreats for the
British Settlers during the Frontier Wars. St Johns is considered to be the
oldest, unaltered Anglican Church in South Africa.
Bathurst Agricultural Museum: The museum exhibits over a thousand farming
items typically used by the Settlers. The equipment is no longer in use but is
still in working order.
Pig and Whistle Hotel: This, the oldest inn in South Africa, now a national
monument, was built in 1831 as the Bathurst Inn and renamed by men of the
43 Air School during the Second World War.
Powder Magazine: Once part of a military post, the magazine dates back to
1821 and is the oldest building in the town.
Samuel Bradshaw Wool Mill: This water-driven mill was built in 1821 by the
founder of South Africa’s wool industry. It was modified in 1835 to grind corn
and was fully restored in 1976.
Wesleyan Chapel: The chapel was built by Samuel Bradshaw in 1832 and
contains the historic Jeremiah Goldswain Family Bible.
COOKHOUSE
Settlement in the Cookhouse area started when troops patrolling the eastern
boundary along the Great Fish River pitched camp here. The first building was
a small stone hut used for shelter and cooking. Today, the town is an
important railway junction on the main route from Port Elizabeth to
Johannesburg and an important centre serving an intensive irrigation-farming
community. Dairy, merino sheep, angora goats, and ostrich farming are
practised in the district.
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