Farmland of the Past
It is not hard to imagine Claremont as having once been farmland. With its vast greenery that continues to bring natural life to its sidewalks and public spaces, and well-known community garden: the Arderne Gardens, evidence of Claremont as farmland of the past is all around.
From the trees that offer shaded pathways for avid walkers to the flowers that bloom throughout the suburb bringing beauty to its surrounds, it is clear that Claremont’s soil was once fertile.
During the 1660s, Claremont formed part of a farm that was located along the banks of the Liesbeek River. This part was granted to a free burgher (early European settlers to the Cape), who cultivated the land into his own farm. Through the years this farm exchanged multiple hands and names, from Veldhuysen to Feldhausen.
The farm homestead of bygone Claremont also played host to well known astronomer, Sir John Herschel. Who lived at the farm for four years, mapping the stars of the Southern Hemisphere. This was also the location from where Herschel viewed Halley's Comet through his telescope. This remarkable achievement was commemorated by an obelisk, which today can be viewed in the courtyard of Grove Primary School. Sadly the homestead became a boarding house and later changed to a hotel, called “Herschel Hotel”, which was demolished to make room for a nursery school.
Then by the early 1800s, Claremont started expanding when many British settlers bought properties in the area. This is how the suburb slowly emerged and came to be named after the outstanding Claremont House Estate located in the area.
Claremont was split into two parts, known as Lower and Upper Claremont, and even had its own mayor before it was officially considered part of Cape Town in 1913. The mayor of Claremont is not the only fixture no longer part of the southern suburbs present tapestry, many of the buildings that once populated Claremont have all been demolished and replaced. However, Claremont continues its legacy as a commercial hub and cosmopolitan location.
Arderne Gardens
The 4.5 ha garden was the work of four generations of Ardernes, who lost their wealth in a stock market collapse in 1904. The home of champion trees is now co-managed by the City of Cape Town and the Friends of the Arderne Gardens. The magnificent trees contained within the gardens come from all over the world.
Home to more than 400 trees, the Arderne Gardens in Claremont is a particularly special South African Provincial Heritage Site. This national treasure often acts a leafy backdrop to many wedding photo albums, when it's not affording those in search of rest and relaxation a comfy green spot of peace.
It not only attracts human visitors but also an expansive range of birdlife, as well as garden scavengers, the ever cute squirrel. This is all thanks to the beautiful and exotic trees, which act as the ultimate green beacon for all life forms.
Ardene Gardens can be easily accessed from the Main Road in Claremont and entrance is free of charge. Though donations are welcome, especially as it goes towards the special projects coordinated by the Friends of the Arderne Gardens.
Did You Know? Ladies and gentlemen, there is another contender for the title of ‘South Africa’s Largest Tree’, and it is not a baobab. In fact, it is a very unlikely contender. And, Horrors! It is not even an indigenous tree. And, horrors again. It is in a park in suburban Cape Town. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the remarkable Moreton Bay Fig, in the Arderne Gardens, situated on the Main Road in Claremont. - By David Bristow
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