Articles

The Marine was Hermanus’ very own Fawlty Towers

The Marine Hotel has been an integral part of the life of Hermanus ever since it opened in 1904. The Luyt family were involved with the…

Uncovering the past of Grotto Beach

The Golden Age of the Diamond City: Social Life in Kimberley: 1871–1920

Far from being a backwater town, the inhabitants of Kimberley comprised some of the richest people in the world, the titled, the famous,…

Strandveld Museum recent History Visit (Gansbaai)

Members of the Hermanus History Society enjoyed a visit to the Strandveld Museum in Franskraal. This tiny private museum is owned by Jan…

Presentation by Miss Elsa Nel - 1941-2016: Years of Hermanus High School History

Miss Elsa Nel is Department Head: History and Tourism at the Hermanus High School. Her presentation was developed for the 75th anniversary…

MAY ARDERNE TREDGOLD (1901-1991)

May Arderne Tredgold features importantly in the history of Hermanus. In 1965, at the age of 64, she published the first book-length…

Berdine Luyt’s ‘John’ – A Wartime Romance?

[caption id="attachment_586" align="alignleft" width="406"] Berdine image 1945[/caption] Among the…

Presentation by Robin Lee: History of the De Wets Huis Photographic Museum: 1983 to 2016

The Photographic Museum is part of the Old Harbour Museum, which is itself a Provincial Museum, operating within the legislation and…

Historical Public Space: Balancing Present uses with Historic Meaning

Some of the more interesting historic sites in Hermanus are now ‘public spaces’. Usually this means that ownership vests in the…

The New Harbour in Hermanus: Part 2

From the time the New Harbour opened in 1951 to about 1970, it was the base for a perlemoen boom. Divers flocked to Hermanus, with…

Excursion To Historic Stanford 4 July 2016

It was a sunny day when Bea Whittaker introduced 25 members of the Hermanus History Society to the village of Stanford named after Sir…

Hermanus New Harbour

Hermanus has two harbours, neither of them with a proper name. They are just “The Old Harbour” near the town centre and “The New Harbour”…