The Grahamstown city hall - the tale of two foundation stones.

Abstract

• Opsomming: Ofskoon Grahamstad reeds in 1837 munisipale status verwerf het, het dit bykans nog vyftien jaar geduur voordat ernstige pogings aangewend is om 'n eie stadsaal en kantore vir die munisipale kommissarisse te bekom. Gedurende die vroeg-vyftigerjare het die plan om die Wesleyaanse Kapel vir hierdie doel aan te koop, egter skipbreuk gely. In 1862 is 'n standplaas gekoop waar die stadsaal gebou sou word. Intussen is besluit om 'n gedenktoring ter ere van die 1820-Britse Setlaars digby hierdie standplaas op te rig. Die hoeksteen van die toring is op 23 Mei 1870 gelê. Op 28 Augustus 1877 het 'n kleurvolle gebeurtenis hom hier afgespeel toe die goewerneur van die Kaapkolonie, sir Bartle Frere, die hoeksteenlegging van die stadsaal waargeneem het. Begin Mei 1882 is die doelmatige stadsaal met sy aangrensende kantoorkompleks amptelik in gebruik geneem. In dieselfde maand is ook die prominente gedenktoring op treffende wyse onthul. Hierdie twee argitektoniese bakens hou in werklikheid geen verband met mekaar nie en het afsonderlik en elk in eie reg tot stand gekom; tog word hulle vandag as ʼn eenheid beskou.

• Summary: Municipal government was introduced into Grahamstown in 1837. It was almost fifteen years later, however, before the first serious attempts were made to acquire a city hall and offices for the Municipal Commissioners, although an unsuccessful plan to buy the Wesley Chapel for this purpose during 1851 had been mooted. In 1862 the City Council purchased a site with a view to building a city hall there. Meanwhile it had been decided to erect a jubilee memorial tower near that site to commemorate the Settlers of 1820. On 23 May 1870 the foundation stone of the Tower was laid. Another colourful event took place there when on 28 August 1877 Sir Bartle Frere, Governor of the Cape Colony, laid the foundation stone of the City Hall. At the beginning of May 1882 this suitable building – with its adjacent group of offices – was officially declared open. Later the same month the prominent Jubilee Memorial Tower was inaugurated with pomp and circumstance. Although these two architectural beacons of Grahamstown have in fact no connection with each other and had been established separately and individually, nobody today would think of them other than as a unit.