Location of the Town
The town of Aliwal North was formerly founded in 1850, by Sir Harry Smith, the then Governor of the Cape Colony. He named the town in memory of his victory over the Sikhs at the Battle of Aliwal during the First Sikh War in India in 1846. The town developed simultaneously as a health resort and transport centre with the railway from East London reaching the town in 1885.
The location of Aliwal North is due to the drift through the Orange River just below the confluence of the Orange and Kraai Rivers. This drift was used by the Bushmen and the Voortrekkers. The Frere Bridge, leading across the Orange River, was opened in 1880 and later replaced with the General Hertzog Bridge, leading to Bloemfontein, 206 km to the north. The J W Sauer Bridge was built in 1881 over the Kraai River. The bridge linked communities in the Kraai River basin with Aliwal North. It is now a Provincial Heritage Site.
There are various historical buildings in Aliwal North, which includes the beautiful Roman Catholic Church, the Dutch Reformed Church dating back to 1864 and the library building in Smith Street dating back to 1876. There are also caves and rock shelters surrounding the area with San rock art, which was done during the Stone Age.
Aliwal North is a small town that lies on the border of the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces. The town’s proximity to the Orange Rive...