Gardens | |
|---|---|
   Clockwise from Top: View of The Gardens area,Leeuwenhof, Van Rheede Van Oudtshoorn Vault | |
 Interactive map of Gardens | |
  Gardens Street map of Gardens Show map of Western Cape Gardens Gardens (South Africa) Show map of South Africa | |
| Coordinates:33°56′0″S18°24′30″E / 33.93333°S 18.40833°E /-33.93333; 18.40833 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Main Place | Cape Town |
| Government | |
| • Councillor | Vivienne Walker (DA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.90 km2 (0.73 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 7,960 |
| • Density | 4,190/km2 (10,900/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 23.5% |
| • Coloured | 7.2% |
| • Indian/Asian | 2.0% |
| • White | 64.8% |
| • Other | 2.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • English | 60.4% |
| • Afrikaans | 25.3% |
| • Xhosa | 3.6% |
| • Other | 10.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 8001 |
Gardens (orThe Gardens) is an affluent, predominantlyresidential suburb ofCape Town,South Africa. It is located just to the south of theCBD, in the higher elevations of theCity Bowl area, and directly beneathTable Mountain andLion's Head. Gardens is home to several nationalmuseums such asIziko South African National Gallery and theIziko South African Museum.
TheUniversity of Cape Town also houses its Fine Arts department in the suburb, atMichaelis School of Fine Art.Company's Garden, South Africa's oldest garden, a public park and heritage site is a focal point of the suburb. The area is also home to the oldest synagogue in Southern Africa, theOld Shul (now occupied by theSouth African Jewish Museum) and its successor, theGardens Shul, "The Mother Synagogue of South Africa."
It is also home to the storiedBelmond Mount Nelson Hotel, a luxury hotel dating back to 1899,[2] as well as theLabia Theatre, a beloved independentart house cinema.[3] The main thoroughfare isKloof Street, known for its fashion stores, second-hand furniture stores, restaurants and art galleries.[4] It also housesLeeuwenhof estate, theofficial residence of thePremier of the Western Cape. It is a hub for theCape Town creative industry, home toe.tv at Longkloof Studios and many modelling agencies, production and publishing companies and associated industries.
In the early years, the Cape was used as an anchorage for Portuguese, Dutch and British ships.No permanent settlement existed until theDutch East India Company issued a mandate toJan van Riebeeck, a ship's surgeon, to establish a settlement which could provide passing ships with fruit, vegetables and fresh meat (traded from the locals).
In 1652 the first garden was laid out by Hendrik Boom, the Company's master gardener, on a site close to the Fresh River (near to the Grand Parade). Later that year, the garden crossed the Fresh River (whereAdderley Street is today), and included a medicine garden. Within a few years it was 18 hectares in size.
As more produce became available from the Company's gardens atNewlands and from theFree Burghers who had settled along theLiesbeeck River, the town garden was slowly converted into a botanical and ornamental garden, although the growing of vegetables did continue for a number of years.
The famous kilometre-long Government Avenue, which runs from the top ofAdderley Street, also known as 'The Gardens', was originally planted with lemon trees and in 1700 with orange trees. During the time ofSimon van der Stel, it was lined with oak trees, which remain today.
The suburb is home to Southern Africa's oldest Jewish congregation. The first Jewish services in the country were held on the day precedingYom Kippur in 1841, known asErev Yom Kippur at Benjamin Norden's home, Helmsley Place. TheBelmond Mount Nelson Hotel purchased Norden's former home in 1996 and it is now guest accommodation for the hotel.[5][6]
In the early twentieth century, a Jewish primary school was established on Hope Street,United Hebrew Schools'. A purpose-built school was built at the same site in 1937, replacing the large house that had previously housed the school.[7] The school later became known asHerzlia School and relocated to its current campus inVredehoek in the 1950s, where a high school was also established.[8]
Duringapartheid, Vredehoek was designated as a “whites-only” area as part of theGroup Areas Act. The Gardens Centre Tower was built in the 1970s in response to a "white housing crisis" in racially segregated Cape Town. In the 1970s theNational Party initiated several planning interventions, including the suspension of the city's zoning rules with regards to building height for developers willing to build housing in whiteGroup Areas.[9]
The residential tower and shopping mall replaced a large historic hotel,The International Hotel situated on Upper Mill Street. TheSouth Africa national rugby union team (Springboks) usually stayed there when they were playing in Cape Town. The hotel also hosted bands and concerts over the weekends.[10]
Kloof Street mostly consisted of boarding houses for most of the twentieth century, many have now been converted into restaurants, cafes, boutiques and hotels.[11]
The suburb is served by the MyCiTibus rapid transit system. The 101 route takes passengers toVredehoek and theCape Town Civic Centre in central Cape Town. The 113 route takes passengers toAdderley Street and theV&A Waterfront. The 107 route goes toCamps Bay.[17]
