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| Elsies Kraal Canal Pinelands Cape Town Bradclin offers a variety of Accommodation in the suburb of Pinelands, Cape Town Our suburb is ideal as a base for all Local & Overseas Holiday Makers to explore all of Cape Town. For Corporate guests, the location is perfect as we are surrounded by many Corporate offices and Business Parks |
If you frequent the Pinelands area you may have
come across a sign that says, “Welcome to Pinelands South Africa’s first Garden
City”, but do you know what the definition of a garden city is and when it
first became a thing?
In 1898, the first idea of a city based on economic
and scientific principles was pioneered by Ebenezer Howard in his book Garden
Cities of Tomorrow.
This was the first time a town was considered as
being planned around public buildings and with a park in the centre surrounded
by shops and other commercial activities and services.
Howard’s idea was far ahead of the current planning
standards of his era and he hoped that one day communities would benefit from
income derived from commercial sites, and establish sites specifically for
recreational use and leisure.
Because of this idea, the Garden Cities Association
was born, and the world’s first garden cities, Letchworth and Welwyn in
England, were established.
During the 1880’s Pinelands was not quite as we
know it today; the area was nothing but sandy waste. In the 1890’s, a rich clay
pit was discovered in Uitvlugt there and a brick-making business began
operating on the corner of Forest Drive and Alice’s Ride.
Near 1938, a site for the town was established and
Trust Deed drawn up to commence the design and layout of the Garden City of
Pinelands. Local architects were encouraged to compete for designs.
The first prize was awarded to John Perry but a
number of his designs were later rejected by Sir Raymond Unwin, the planner of
the first Garden City of Letchworth. The architectural firm which had planned
Welwyn were appointed instead under the supervision of Mr A. J. Thompson, the
first Supervising Architect of Pinelands sent from England for a two-year
contract. The layout planned for Pinelands followed Howard’s broad principles
of garden cities and allowed for plenty of open spaces.
Strict attention was paid to the layout of the
suburb’s roads and the need for more than one railway station. In 1921 the
first section layout of Pinelands was completed and in 1921 Trustees applied
for a loan to build the first group of houses.
The name of Pinelands itself was suggested by the
first Secretary of the Garden Cities Trust as they planned to preserve the
pines planted in the area so many years before. This name was officially
adopted the same year as the first section layout was completed.
On July 23 1922, J.W.P William Logan was appointed
as the first Estate Manager of Pinelands.
This same year, the first house was completed and
roofed with the familiar thatch we see in the neighbourhood today – thatch was
the only roofing material permitted in the area. More cottages were built along
Forest Drive in the same year, accompanied by three roads: one a main avenue
for heavy traffic named Forest Drive, one for cyclists and lighter vehicles,
and one for pedestrians.
All trees along the roadways were carefully
preserved to ensure each roadway was a long natural avenue. Each house build
was different from the last with its own unique features and layout. All were
designed to be attractive, comfortable and low-cost.
By the end of the year, 24 houses had been
established and Pinelands had a total population of 60. Electricity was
installed late in 1922 and early in 1923, and by 1924 10 street lights were
operational.
By 1942, the population of Pinelands had risen to
20 000 inhabitants with over 3 000 houses, 750 flat units and two shopping
complexes, Howard Centre and Central Square.
The Mead & Mead Way, little thatched “Cotswold”
houses which were the first Pinelands Homes, were proclaimed National Monuments
in 1983.
Since its inception, Pinelands has been hallmarked
by its community spirit and its residents’ neighbourly values, which include
always looking out for one another. It is a place where the modern idea of
society, community and cities first began in South Africa and an invaluable
part of Capetonian history.
Published by Aimee Pace on July
26, 2019
