Local History Museum (also known as the Old Court House Museum) was built in 1866 in Aliwal Street, Durban as a courthouse and was fortified at the outbreak of the Anglo-Zulu war in 1879. The museum house a collection of contemporary, colonial and pre-colonial exhibitions in the city’s oldest public building. These include costumes, photographs and … Read more
From the earliest days of the white settlement in Durban, one of the recurring themes in the relationship between the white and the black inhabitants of the area was the desire of the whites to enjoy the benefits of black labour, without allowing so many black people into Durban that they would be overwhelmed. Therefore they introduced … Read more
Cato Manor Heritage Centre Cato Manor, known for its unique multi-cultural community, its informal settlements, and various religious sites is perhaps best known for its dramatic history of forced removals. Large black and white prints at the Cato Manor Heritage Centre vividly depict the stark realities of evictions, rebellion, riots and suppression. A focus on … Read more
Named after Jonas Bergtheil, this museum is situated in the leafy suburb of Westville almost midway between Durban and Pinetown. Much of the museum is housed in Westville’s oldest building (c.1840) featuring massive stone walls and hand-hewn timber floorboards. Park like surrounds add an atmosphere of tranquility.Exhibits generally centre on the first German settlers that … Read more
Phansi Museum is housed in Roberts House on Frere Hill in Glenwood, Durban. Here it occupies three floors of one of the few domestic national historic monuments in the city. Roberts House was built in 1896 by the parents of Esther Roberts, one of the first female anthropologists in South Africa. It was declared a … Read more
Once a Court House and now a Museum it is the oldest public building in the central business district and was loop-holed during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. It bore witness to both the South African Wars and the Bhambatha Uprising. More recently it also served as a canteen and recruitment centre during the two … Read more