WHERE HAS EVERYTHING GONE?

This week’s old pictures of Durban for our “then and now” feature were supplied by Chris Taylor from the Berea whose grandfather shot them while at the beachfront in 1905.

His grandfather, an engineer, was a keen amateur photographer, which was quite a feat in those days. Both pictures show the bathing enclosure which encircled the main beach then.

For once, Google let us down, as did our library in our search to match the spot on today’s beachfront.

Thankfully, Mike Anderson-Reade, head of operations at the KZN Sharks Board, came to our rescue and told us that it corresponds roughly to the area opposite where the Edward Hotel now stands.

Photographer Sibusio Ndlovu took the picture on the right where one can scarcely recognise anything. Today’s beachgoers would certainly find the bathing attire of that era rather strange.

The Independent on Saturday is making a special appeal to readers who have old pictures from elsewhere in the province, as well as those of Durban, to please send them in to us for consideration.

If any of our readers are featured in the old picture, we will do our best to recreate the scene with them in it again.

Readers sending in pictures digitally can address them, with the relevant information, to satmail@inl. co.za

Pictures should preferably be about 1 megabyte.

If the pictures are in hard copy format, they can be posted, with all the relevant information, to The Editor, Old Pictures, The Independent on Saturday, PO Box 47549, Greyville, 4023.