Govan Mbeki Road on a Sunday morning

I don't get down to Govan Mbeki Road that often and most of the time just driving through.  A little while ago I was in the area on a Sunday morning which means it was nice and quiet with very few people around.

St Mary's front on Govan Mbeki Road

Anybody who knows Port Elizabeth and has been down to Govan Mbeki Road (Main Street) in the city centre, would know St Mary's Anglican Cathedral near the Public Library.  But not just know it.  Also be aware of the old United Building Society building that stands on the corner in front of it blocking a proper view of the whole church and causing the front of the church to look like it's standing on its own between the high rise buildings away from the rest of the cathedral behind.

In 1843 St Mary's Church had to sell off pieces of its land to fund a building project and by doing so lost possession of some extremely valuable frontage to Main Street.  At that stage there was a servitude upon the property which prevented the stores built upon it from being raised high enough to block out St. Mary’s Church from the Main Street, but this eventually changed in later years which led to the situation we have today.

View of Govan Mbeki Road

The view down onto Govan Mbeki Road (Main Street) from the third floor of the historic Fisher's Building in downtown Port Elizabeth.  The St Mary's Cathedral is in the centre of the picture and the City Hall on the left.

Looking down on Govan Mbeki Road

The Sky Deck in the Port Elizabeth city centre gives one some stunning views of the downtown area.  This is looking down onto Govan Mbeki Road (formerly Main Street) which was redeveloped by the Mandela Bay Development Agency just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  The Sky Deck itself really didn't impress me much.  The least you can do when you have an attraction like that is to keep it clean.  Its a good example of something with a lot of potential where that potential is not being developed.

Main Post Office

This big imposing brown building in Govan Mbeki Street is the Port Elizabeth Main Post Office.  Its also the regional headquarters of the Post Office in the Eastern Cape.  I took this picture from the same spot as yesterday's one with the bouganvilla flowers.

Flowers over Main Street

Happy Valentines Day everybody.  I decided against doing the typical Valentines post (probably because I had no romantic photos on hand), but did include flowers.  Pretty Bouganvilla flowers above Govan Mbeki Street (previously known as Main Street).