Tourist Route – Station 2

Some 200 original buildings have been conserved in Mossel Bay’s Old Town area. Now, take yourself back in time and imagine a small village with about 30 dwellings. In the area around Market Square, you will find yourself surrounded by buildings from the earliest times: the Granary (1786, rebuilt in 1987), 10 Church Street (1857), the Barry Building which is now the Protea Hotel (1849). By 1879 both the First Municipal (1858) and Second Municipal Buildings (1879), which today accommodates the Tourist Office complex were established.

Walking down Bland Street along the tourist route you will notice buildings from 1824 to 1910: Prince Vintcent & Co (1824-1903), Errol’s (1877 ABC Bank), Andersen’s (1881), De Marillac Building (1875, now houses De Jager’s ), Jongensskool (1872), Marine Hotel (1858), Searles Manor (1902), Customs House (1874), the Goodsshed (1900) and Alex Comay store (1888) which is now the Yellow Door Art Gallery.

A detailed brochure is available from the Tourism Office or can be downloaded at www.visitmosselbay.co.za where you can find anecdotes about what the buildings were used for and the people who erected them.

Suggestion… if you would like to take yourself back in time to 1848, go and take a peek at the Munro Cottages which are located at the Dias Museum Complex. Now simply take a minute (or two!) and imagine what the village looked like, and how it has changed, through the ages.

Proceed east down Bland street to Station 3 (160 m) which is located in Crook Square on the corner of Crook and Bland Street . You will pass several tourism related businesses and historic buildings on both sides of Bland Street; ABC Bank building (1877), Andersons Building – look out (1881), Jongensskool building the first school in Mossel Bay (1872).