Plett Historical Sites to Explore this Summer
Plett is not just about beaches, bubbly and good times, although these are available in bucket-and-spades-full. The coastal golden child of the Garden Route is rich in history and heritage, and visitors to the region can expect to find interesting historic locations to explore. So, if you fancy yourself to be an amateur chronicler, then put on your walking shoes, sharpen your pencil and bring your camera because here are a few sites to visit.
The Robberg Peninsula is every nature lover’s dream! A national monument, nature reserve and Marine Protected Area, this is an absolute must-visit. Steeped in history, the Nelson Bay Cave, also known as Wagenaar’s Cave, is a Stone Age archaeological site, showing evidence of human occupation as far back as 125,000 years ago. Hiking this amazing peninsula will offer up a feast of knowledge. Time to dig out those hiking shoes. On a clear day, the Athena shipwreck can be seen resting on the ocean floor from the golden sands of Robberg Beach. Shipwrecks are by no means a new phenomenon in the Plett waters. The most notable would arguably be the São Gonçalo wreck, a Portuguese East-Indiaman, overladen with spices, mainly peppercorns, which clogged her water pumps, causing her demise in 1660. Her relics are scattered all over Plett, so enjoy the treasure hunt.
Forest Hall, The Victorian Manor House, built in 1864, was one of the first homes built in the Crags, Plettenberg Bay. In recognition of this value and its now irreplaceable structure, Forest Hall was declared a National Monument by the South African Heritage authority in 1992. The essential character of this beautiful monument to South African history has not changed – even as everything around it does. The building and grounds are now open to overnight visitors who can stay in the Manor House or one of several cottages on the estate. The Manor House is situated within a large area of smooth green lawn, surrounded by indigenous forest. From each of the windows, guests are treated to uninterrupted and breath-taking views – in one direction over this forest to the foothills above the Kurland Polo fields, and the Outeniqua mountain range; in the other over the Tsitsikamma to the Indian Ocean.
During 1778, Governor Joachim Baron van Plettenberg visited the Bahia Formosa as it was known then. After inspecting the bay and surrounding area, he erected the Van Plettenberg Beacon slate possessional stone, indicating that the bay henceforth would belong to the Dutch East India Company. Henceforth the town also bore his name, Plettenberg Bay. The regal beacon can be seen on outlook point on the corner of Hopwood and Meeding Street.
In August 1786 the Dutch East India Company ordered the erection of the Timber Shed for storage of timber prior to shipment by sea. Local settler, Jan Jakob Jerling was commissioned to build it and interestingly, some of his descendants still live in Plett (that’s quite an endorsement to happy local living). The first timber was shipped out in August 1788, but the project had limited success and failed to survive the colony’s First British Occupation in 1795. The Timber Shed was declared a national monument in 1936. Today, remnants of this structure still stand and can be seen at Hobie Beach, directly across from another historical treasure – The Old Rectory.
Plett’s oldest surviving building, The Old Rectory, was identified on a 1777 map as ‘visitor’s accommodation’. All indications are that from the time the timber shed was reconstructed in 1787, the Old Rectory building next to it was used to house employees of the Company (Dutch East India Company), who supervised the storing of timber in the hout huis (timber shed) and arranged for its shipment to the Cape. The building was later used as a rectory by the Anglican Church in the wake of the English settlers and was occupied by five rectors in succession until the present Rectory was built in 1939. The building was recently renovated and it’s a must-see – a five-star luxury hotel with a restaurant and spa.
St Peters Anglican Church was established in 1851 with the construction of the little yellowwood building on the Newdigate farm in Piesang Valley. St Peter’s Church in Plett Central is the ‘mother’ church for the Parish. Situated in a beautifully maintained garden, this impressive stone church dates back to 1879 and today is an extremely popular venue for weddings. A temporary church was built in The Crags in 1881 and subsequently replaced by the existing St Michael’s Church, which was consecrated in 1905. A beautiful place of worship.
A navigational beacon was first erected on the Beacon Island in 1771. The original was a square block of stinkwood, inscribed with the latitude and longitude of Plettenberg Bay and erected to enable mariners to check their location. It was replaced by a stone one by Captain Sewell in 1881 and can be seen in the Gardens of the current Beacon Isle Hotel. The next time you’re enjoying a cocktail on the lawn of the BI, spare a thought for the mariners of old. The Beacon Island site used to be the hub of whaling operations from 1913 to 1916. A house on the island at that time was imported from Norway and occupied by project manager Captain Jacob Odland. It remained when whaling ceased, becoming Hopwood’s boarding house, the forerunner of the Angler’s Inn; the first Beacon Island Hotel (single storey); and later Beacon Isle Hotel. Be sure to look out for the whaling pots on display on the BI grounds.
Now that you have the lowdown on the legends that have contributed a slice of history to Plett, it’s time to collate and relax, perhaps even indulge in a bottle or two of bubbly from one of Plett’s wine farms. It’s been quite a journey through time.
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