  Above: an aerial view down Adderley Street, withTable Mountain in the background. Below: a view of Adderley Street from ground level. | |
 Map of Adderley Street and surrounding streets. | |
| Location | Cape Town, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°55′17″S18°25′27″E / 33.92139°S 18.42417°E /-33.92139; 18.42417 |
Adderley Street is a street in thecentral business district (CBD) ofCape Town,South Africa. It is considered themain street of the area.
The street bisects the CBD. It runs from theParliament of South Africa at the north, past numerous office buildings and hotels, and becomes Heerengraght Street (the old main street of the CBD) at the south end, passing theCape Town International Convention Centre, traveling under theN1 freeway, and terminating at thePort of Cape Town.
The street was originally namedHeerengracht, after the canal ("gracht") which ran down its centre, and which had its origins in the rivers from Table Mountain. At the time the street was more of a wide walkway beside the canal, which was crossed by various stone bridges.
The network of canals were covered over, throughout Cape Town, in the 1860s. The Heerengracht river and canal therefore became an underground pipe-line. For many years the street was residential, lined with large oak trees, but by 1850 it had become strongly commercial in character.
MayorHercules Jarvis named it Adderley Street in 1850, to honour British ParliamentarianCharles Bowyer Adderley (elevated to the peerage as Baron Norton in 1878) who fought successfully againstthe plan for the British government to make Cape Town into anotherpenal colony.[1]
Adderley Street was the original main street of the city centre shopping district with large department stores such asStuttafords (SW corner of Hout Street, going through to St Georges Mall, nowEdgars et al.),Garlicks (at Exchange Place across fromCape Town railway station),[2] Fletcher & Cartwrights, and Thomas, Watson & Co. In the late 1800s the street was a "riot of ornament" along which around 150 retail shops plied their trade, many with wrought iron decorating the outsides of their buildings.[3] The street remains a retail centre today, with branches ofWoolworths,Edgars,Truworths and shopping centres such as theGolden Acre withAckermans,Shoprite andMr Price.[4]
It also has long been a financial centre with the Colonial Bank located on the site of the Stuttafords Building until 1890, and the imposing Standard Bank Building on the east side at Hout Street. The upper end marked political and religious authority, the location ofSt. George's Cathedral and theSupreme Court of South Africa.[3]
Most of Adderley Street features two lanes running in each direction, divided by a paved section with trees. Each side of the road is flanked bysidewalks forpedestrians (with numerous crosswalks along the street), and off-streetparking. The left side of the road features a dedicatedcycle lane.
The Adderley StreetMyCiTi Bus Station, part of theCity of Cape Town'sbus rapid transit system, is located on Adderley Street, where it intersects withRiebeek Street. It is situated at the entrance ofCape Town Station, part of the city'sMetrorailtrain network. The segment of the street around the BRT station features dedicated, specially-pavedbus lanes on both sides. It is at this point that Adderley Street is its widest, at 8 lanes plus sidewalks.
At the north end of Adderley Street isCompany's Garden, a large public park that sits next to the Parliament of South Africa. Company's Garden is the oldest garden inSouth Africa, and aNational Heritage Site.
At the point that Adderley Street becomes Heerengracht Street, in the middle of a large traffic circle, is Adderley Street Fountain, situated in the middle of a small public park that featurespalm trees.
At the top of Adderley Street, next to the entrance to Company's Garden, is theSlave Lodge. Originally a slave lodge, it then became government offices, then the old Supreme Court of South Africa, and then its current form - the South African Cultural History Museum, which forms part ofIziko Museums of South Africa. It is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town.
Adderley Street is home to numerous office buildings, includingForeshore Place (formerly ABSA Centre), which was completed in 1970,[5] and is currently Cape Town's6th tallest building.
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Media related toAdderley Street, Cape Town at Wikimedia Commons