Robertson, Western Cape
Encyclopedia
Robertson is a town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
known as the valley of wine and roses. It was founded in 1853 and named after the Scottish
Dutch Reformed Church
Minister, Dr William Robertson.
Situated in the fertile Robertson Valley, farming and wagon building were the town's original industries. However, after the Second Anglo-Boer War
of 1899, the wagon building industry collapsed when the railways took over the transport of all goods.
Robertson subsequently became famous for its ostrich
farming, but this industry collapsed as well shortly after World War I
and thus the farmers of the area turned switched to wine
and fruit
farming. Later, several successful racehorse stud farms were founded. Agriculture remains the mainstay of the town's economy up to the present day.
Tourism
has also grown in recent years and the town has several South African National Monuments, such as the Pink Church (1859), the Museum (1860), the Edwardian-style
house 12 Piet Retief Street (1904), the Victorian
-style house 59 Van Reeneen Street (1914) and the Powder House (which used as a storage for gunpowder).
The wine industry in Robertson has grown from less than 25 cellars in 1995 to more than 50 registered wine cellars as of today. There are a number of wine cellars that receive the highest awards both locally and internationally every year. Robertson wine cellars include
There are also a range of small boutique wineries as Rosendal and Fraai Uitzicht.
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...
known as the valley of wine and roses. It was founded in 1853 and named after the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to 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...
Minister, Dr William Robertson.
Situated in the fertile Robertson Valley, farming and wagon building were the town's original industries. However, after the Second Anglo-Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
of 1899, the wagon building industry collapsed when the railways took over the transport of all goods.
Robertson subsequently became famous for its ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
farming, but this industry collapsed as well shortly after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and thus the farmers of the area turned switched to wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
farming. Later, several successful racehorse stud farms were founded. Agriculture remains the mainstay of the town's economy up to the present day.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
has also grown in recent years and the town has several South African National Monuments, such as the Pink Church (1859), the Museum (1860), the Edwardian-style
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
house 12 Piet Retief Street (1904), the Victorian
Victorian 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...
-style house 59 Van Reeneen Street (1914) and the Powder House (which used as a storage for gunpowder).
The wine industry in Robertson has grown from less than 25 cellars in 1995 to more than 50 registered wine cellars as of today. There are a number of wine cellars that receive the highest awards both locally and internationally every year. Robertson wine cellars include
- Graham Beck
- Springfield
- Bon Cap
- Majors Hill
- Excelsior Estate
There are also a range of small boutique wineries as Rosendal and Fraai Uitzicht.