The Red Location was established around 1903, when the black residents of the Strangers Location and at Coopers Kloof (Albany Road) were moved from Port Elizabeth.
The name of the Red Location comes from the corrugated iron barracks, brought down from a defunct concentration camp at Uitenhage and the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital at de Aar; that had been used in the South African War of 1899 - 1902. In time, these sheds eventually rusted and turned deep red - hence the name Red Location.
Today the area is an eclectic mix of old and new, boasting the award winning Red Location Museum, which is surrounded by the original houses, new modern homes and a selection of wood and iron shacks.
My word, that must be cold and miserable in winter!
ReplyDeleteInteresting background info; thanks for providing it. I imagine that some people would feel fortunate to be able to live there. Our worlds are too often very different, and I wish that there would be far more equality on our planet. Seems like an impossible goal these days, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteLife is not all wine and roses, and the homes are not always castles. But people survive and that itself is remarkable.
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for your visits and comments on my blog in 2007. And I would like to wish you and your friends and family and very healthy and prosperous 2008.
hey I grew up in rural West Virginia and these houses would have been castles.....nice shot.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad people live like this but they probably feel blessed they have some kind of roof over their head. I know we are too materialistic today but this is sad.
ReplyDeleteA few bits and pieces of these historical cottages remain - which are earmarked for preservation under the Red Location Cultural Precinct.
ReplyDeleteVisit Facebook to join the group "Save the historical Red Location Cottages" at http://vupload.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26684527714
Thank you for your excellent website - I enjoy browsing here.
'nette
Hi 'Nette, thanks for the interesting input. It would be a shame to lose these, they are as important a part of our heritage as some of the decaying buildings in Central, and I am delighted that there are moves afoot to preserve them.
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