Victoria West is a small town (called a "dorpie") that was established in 1843 through the Dutch Reformed Church congregation of Beaufort West, Western Cape in South Africa.
The church purchased the farms Kapoksfontein and Zeekoegat from the estate of a local farmer Mr. J.H Claasens for 1725 £ (pounds) to established a church and town. Plots were laid out on Zeekoegat (that became Victoria West) originally owned by Mr. D.P de Wit. A land surveyor was appointed by the name of Mr. J.L Leeb and on 28 August 1844 the church council decided to name the town "Victoria", after her majesty Queen Victoria from Britain.
The town was renamed "Victoria West" on 24 December 1855, after learning that another district (Eastern Cape) had a similarly name. Victoria West became a municipality in 1859.
Victoria West had four architectural building types that were named after her majesty Queen Victoria:
• Cape Cottages came from the Cape Dutch which still remain today.
• Karoo Houses were Malaysian houses originated form the South Western Cape and has remained the characteristics of the Karoo or small towns.
• Victoria Houses came to the Karoo towns as the British settlers moved inland from the Eastern Cape with the discovery of diamonds and gold in the region.
• Gothic Rival: all the churches in South Africa were built in this style.
The town has the last functioning and remaining art deco theatre in South Africa. You can also find unique fish fossils in the museum. In our township tours we learn about the late Sandile Dikeni — a resident who was the first black poet, journalist, and author of four books that played a significant role in the literature of South Africa. Victoria West was also home to former Springbok rugby icon Oom Mannetjies Roux.
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My name Ricardo, and I am an award winning cultural site guide and co-founding Director of a tour operator in Northern Cape, South Africa.
I am a champion of "rural tourism" development. We offer tours where "heritage through architecture" is our selling and marketing campaign.
In the nearby town of Carnarvon, the MeerKAT radio telescope (one of South Africa’s largest scientific infrastructure projects) is a great spot for data science and astronomy. Further west, in the town of Sutherland you'll find SALT — the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. This small town is perfect for stargazing.
We also offer farm stays in the middle of the Karoo in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
To learn more about our tours, visit www.facebook.com/ricardo.a.pieterse/
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. Small town South Africa's small towns are riddled with interesting buildings and stories. Small towns for the win 🏆
Sounds like a fascinating area. Thanks for sharing.