Richmond, Northern Cape
Encyclopedia
Richmond is a town in the central Karoo
region of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa
. It is situated on the main N1 route.
and Edwardian Karoo style, with additions of verandahs dating from the 1920s. The Dutch Reformed Church
building, the spiritual if not the physical centre around which the town evolved, dates from 1847, with a tower completed in 1909. It celebrated a centenary in 2009.
The naming of the town originated in the desire of the townsfolk to honour the new Governor of the Cape, Sir Peregrine Maitland, who took office in 1844. Maitland declined, however, suggesting instead that it be named after his father-in-law, the Duke of Richmond
. It was officially named Richmond in October 1845.
, hosting an annual Book Festival.
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
region of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is situated on the main N1 route.
Origin, architecture and history
The town was established in 1843 in one of the coldest parts of South Africa's inland plateau. It was founded to meet the religious needs of a growing farming community, but unlike most Karoo towns the church was not built as the physical focal point of the village; rather, the centrepiece is the village square. Unusually for this arid region, it was built astride a river which has been cited as the reason for the irregular street grid. The town has a substantial number of well-preserved houses and public buildings of VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Edwardian Karoo style, with additions of verandahs dating from the 1920s. The Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
building, the spiritual if not the physical centre around which the town evolved, dates from 1847, with a tower completed in 1909. It celebrated a centenary in 2009.
The naming of the town originated in the desire of the townsfolk to honour the new Governor of the Cape, Sir Peregrine Maitland, who took office in 1844. Maitland declined, however, suggesting instead that it be named after his father-in-law, the Duke of Richmond
Duke of Richmond
The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families...
. It was officially named Richmond in October 1845.
Medical pioneers
- Richmond was the birthplace of medical pioneer Dr Albert Hoffa, hailed as the founder of modern orthopaedics, author of a famous text book and some of whose techniques are still in use. Born in Richmond on 31 March 1859, the son of a local doctor, he studied medicine in Germany. In 1886 Hoffa was appointed as lecturer at the University of WürzburgUniversity of WürzburgThe University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
, later becoming Professor and moving to BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He died in 1907. - Heart transplant pioneer Professor Chris BarnardChris BarnardChristopher Leslie Barnard was a Welsh professional footballer in the 1960s and 1970’s. He was born in Cardiff.Chris Barnard, a midfielder, began his career as an apprentice at Southend United, turning professional in August 1965 and playing 8 times in the league the following season...
would spend time at his Richmond farm, Ratelfontein.
Book Town
Richmond achieves renown in the first decade of the twenty-first century as a Book TownBook town
A book town is a town or village with a large number of second-hand or antiquarian book shops. These shops, and sometimes also literary festivals, attract bibliophile tourists to them...
, hosting an annual Book Festival.