v The town was initially named Hermanuspietersfontein is named after Hermanus Pieters, an itinerant schoolmaster, who found the spring in Westcliff in the 1830s v Five fisher families moved here from Herries Bay (Hawston) in 1855. (One historian argues that the correct date is 1857) v The Old Harbour was initially known as the ‘Visbaai.’ v The name ‘Old Harbour’ only came about after the opening of the ‘New Harbour’ in 1951 v For most of its history, residents of the town used ‘brown water’. A water purification plant opened in the 1970s v The suburb of Voëlklip was initially marketed as the Mossel River Sea Side Township and was developed by a private syndicate v At one time in the 1930s, there were thirteen hotels in Hermanus, as well as numerous boarding houses and holiday homes v Only the Marine Hotel remains of the original hotels v In 1896, Dr Hoffman built a Sanatorium on the cliffs to the west of the Visbaai. In 1930, this building was converted into a hotel by David Allen and named Windsor Hotel v Swallow Park is named after a popular high school teacher, Miss Magda (Swallow) Neethling v The first hotel was the Victoria Hotel, which was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt as the Astoria on the site of the present Astoria Village v Fernkloof Nature Reserve was established by the Hermanus Municipality in 1960, with the support of Mayor Prillewitz and Dr Ion Williams v The idea for the Hermanus Cliff Path was first thought of by Eric Jones in 1960 and constructed by him, Ion Williams and many members of the Hermanus Botanical Society v The land on which Hermanus now stands was owned in the mid-19th century by Walter McFarlane and registered as Mosselrivier Farm. v There have been several bathing beaches historically: Blougat (in front of the Windsor), Mossel River, Long Beach, Voëlklip Beach, Hawston Beach and Grotto Beach (known initially as Riviera Beach) v The Greater Hermanus residential area was not racially segregated until the late 1960s v The Old Harbour was developed as a heritage site in the 1970s after the Municipality had sold the area to a non-profit body known as the Trustees of the Old Harbour for R1 v Two of General Jan Smuts sisters lived for some time in Hermanus, and General Smuts visited the town on numerous occasions v Every Governor-General of the Union of South Africa stayed in Hermanus at least once during his period of office, and the Earl of Athlone and HRH Prince of Connaught and their respective wives visited Hermanus frequently v The Balcony Building (now known as The Factory Shop) was the first specific business premises in Hermanus and was opened in 1906. It was built at the point where Main and Harbour Roads intersect. It is still standing and in everyday use. v The Morton family converted their home (Roskeen) to a girls boarding school. It was built close to the Main Road to Stanford, opposite the present site of the Eastcliff Centre. In the 1930s, the house was demolished, and the Bay View Hotel built. In the 1980s the hotel was destroyed, and present Bay View Apartments built v The original school was started by the Anglican Church of St Peters in 1868 and was followed by a school established by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1878 v The first Government School was built in 1912. For many years was known as the ‘Klipskool’ as it was constructed of stone v ‘Brown’ water was unsuitable for the laundry from the Sanatorium, as well as hotel linen. The Municipality built four public washing places which were supplied with clear water. These were known as ‘wasbakkies’ and used by the wives of the fishermen v The main road to Stanford ran along where Mossel Drive is now, through Kwaaiwater and across the Mossel River via a low-level bridge to link with 10th Street in Voëlklip. The present circle and bridge were built in 1965 v Peter John Luyt was the owner of the Marine Hotel and the Riviera Hotel. Hermanus had (and still has) a shortage of water and Luyt supported the building of three dams on the Mossel River in the 1930s. The highest dam is named after him. FIVE THINGS I WISH I DID NOT HAVE TO FIND OUT ABOUT HERMANUS HERITAGE 1. The demolition of Lemm’s Corner in the early 1980s when it was already a historic site 2. The destruction of the beautiful wetland next to the Grottos, near the Blue Flag Beach 3. The repeated vandalisation of the graves of Sir William Hoy and Lady Hoy at the summit of Hoy’s Koppie. The last took place in 2015. The Hermanus History Society assisted the Municipality in making repairs 4. The 1985 demolition of Schoongezicht, the home of the Luyt family after it had graced our waterfront for more than 60 years 5. The period of Municipal neglect of the Hermanus Cliff Path during the last quarter of the 20th century, which was only ended when a non-profit, privately funded group under David Beattie took up the challenge in 2002