Walking trail brings history back to life
Some Bathurst buildings date back more than 200 years
“Bathurst offers a glimpse into the past that is almost unique in SA, and especially the Eastern Cape. About 10 surviving buildings in the village date back to its establishment 200 years ago,” the trail guide Nick Cowley said.
“Famously, these include the legendary Historic Pig and Whistle Inn, said to be the oldest continuously operating pub in the country, and Bathurst Primary School, which has a good claim to be the oldest surviving school in the country.”
The trail took a little more than two hours and there were 10-20 people who attended, with a couple coming from Makhanda and a Dutch couple and a student from Stenden.
Cowley said this was the first trail after the festive season and was a pretty successful day.
Another landmark is the powder magazine, a reminder of the succession of wars and upheavals that have made up Frontier Country’s turbulent past. These buildings are made mostly of stone the wattleand-daub structures of the same era disappeared long ago.
They have a brooding quality of timelessness, evoking the thousands of people who lived and worked in them and fought to protect them.
“The idea of the historical trail is to show these buildings to visitors and convey some of their history and atmosphere.
“Historic Bathurst makes a slight profit from the walks and tours, which is channelled back into maintenance and upkeep of the landmarks. But the society’s aim is also to rouse interest in the rich past of Bathurst and indeed of the Eastern Cape as a whole” Cowley said.
All of this also tends to promote tourism and put Bathurst on the map.
“This is why businesses like the Pig and Whistle, local restaurants and craftspeople support the trail walks. The aims of Historic Bathurst, the society, blend seamlessly with those of historic Bathurst, the village” Cowley said.