Dorp Street, Stellenbosch


Dorp or “Town” Street is one of my favourite streets in Stellenbosch.  I love the beautiful old oak trees that line the street along with all the old homes with their interesting gables, windows, doors and stoeps.
We started our walk at the Dutch Reformed Church and walked along Dorp Street until we reached Oom Samie’s Winkel.  The street is very busy but we kept crossing to see buildings on both sides.
Stellenbosch
Saxenhof – 159 Dorp Street
The land was granted to Pieter Andriesz Saxe in 1704 and he probably built the original Saxenhof house.  In the late 19th century the house was extended to a double storey with the interesting wooden balcony. 
Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch Hotel – 160 & 162 Dorp Street
After the original building was destroyed is a fire in 1803, the present building was built.

Stellenbosch
Lutheran Church
This church was designed by Carl Otto Hager and was inaugurated in 1854.  The church fell into disuse and was bought by Dr Anton Rupert.  It was donated to the Stellenbosch University and is used as an art gallery.
Stellenbosch
La Gratitude - 95 Dorp Street
Stellenbosch
La Gratitude - 95 Dorp Street
This house was built by rev Borcherds in 1798.  It was almost destroyed by a fire in the 20th century and was restored after the fire.

Stellenbosch
Oom Samie se Winkel (Uncle Samie’s Shop)
This was my first visit to this interesting and well-known shop in Stellenbosch.  It was named after the dealer who had the business for almost 40 years.  They sell a wide range of items.  We liked the interesting books and souvenirs but it was too expensive for us.  We only bought a fridge magnet to add to our collection.

There are a lot more beautiful buildings in Dorp Street.  Most of these buildings are National Heritage Sites. Later in the day we stopped at the Stellenbosch Tourism Office.  They have pamphlet for a walking tour through historical Stellenbosch.  We would have enjoyed the walk more if we had this guide with us and I would recommend that you get it before walking through the town.  Here are photos of a few other buildings in Dorp Street:
Stellenbosch
158 Dorp Street
Stellenbosch
Hendriks-huis

Stellenbosch
108 Dorp Street
Location: Dorp Street, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa

Comments

  1. Firefly the Travel Guy14 October, 2013 12:22

    I so agree with you on this one. Dorp Street is fantastic and has to be explored on foot. Oom Samie se Winkel is a must see stop for everybody

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eyewitness Travel Guides – A Book Review

Image
  Last month I wrote a book review and I enjoyed it.   Today I want to share some more of my favourite travel books.   DK Eyewitness Travel Guides I bought my first travel guide in 2008. I was planning a trip with my friend Lelanie to London and Europe.   While planning the trip I bought the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Europe and I paid R 282.00 for it.   Except for my university textbooks, this was the most expensive book I have ever bought for myself.    We were doing a Contiki Tour and visited 7 countries.   I studied the information in guide the about the cities we would visit.    I made lists of places I want to see and then looked for more information about them.   In the end I did not take the guide with me (the 800 pages was just to heavy to carry along) but packed all my lists to use.  At Departures at Cape Town Airport in 2008 My second guide was for the same trip.   The Eyewitness Trave...
Read more

Daar’s ‘n hoender wat ‘n eier nie kan lê

Image
   Weather vane on the VGK Church in Carnarvon    This photo made me think of a song we used to sing as kids.    It is a traditional Afrikaans song about the rooster on top of the church. The words of the song and its translation: Daar’s ‘n hoender wat ‘n eier nie kan lê There is a chicken that cannot lay an egg Daar’s ‘n hoender wat ‘n eier nie kan lê There is a chicken that cannot lay an egg Daar’s ‘n hoender wat ‘n eier nie kan lê There is a chicken that cannot lay an egg Dis die haan wat op die kerktoring staan It’s the rooster standing on the church tower Dis die haan, Dis die haan It’s the rooster, It’s the rooster Dis die haan wat op die kerktoring staan It’s the rooster standing on the church tower More about all the churches and other buildings we saw in Carnarvon in the next post.
Read more

Dutch Reformed Mother Church, George

Image
One of my favourite sights in George is the white Dutch Reformed Mother Church with the beautiful Outeniqua Mountain as background.   I have many memories of visiting this church: On a history class trip when I was about 10, for a art class when I was about 13, for my cousins wedding in 2004, for her baby’s christening a few years later and many other times.   But most of all I like seeing this church every time we drive through town.   The cornerstone for the church was laid on 14 April 1832.   Slaves were used for some of the building work like the digging of the six-foot deep by five-foot wide foundations.   Due to financial problems it took 12 years to complete the church and it was consecrated in 9 October 1842.  The church is a National Heritage Site. On 13 September 1905 disaster struck when the church tower collapsed.   The wood rotted from water damage and lead to the walls weakening.   After a lot of rain for two days t...
Read more