Our sketching group visited the site of the old Protea Village for a few weeks in a row in the spring of 2019. The arum lilies were flowering and the abundance of trees makes it a very attractive spot for artists.
The area has a history which not everyone may be aware of . Protea Village began in 1834 on the farm Protea. After the establishment of nearby Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in 1913 many of the villagers worked there. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the people of the village were forcibly removed under the Group Areas Act. Many of the former residents or their descendents have finally won the right to return to the area and plans have been drawn up for the area.
Three stone cottages remain from the village days. The sketch above shows two of them with the mountain towering behind them.
The community built the little church on the corner of Rhodes and Kirstenbosch Drive from stones from the nearby Liesbeek River.
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