Somerset West, Western Cape
Encyclopedia
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of 2007, it had a population of 3,497,097....
metropolitan municipality
Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)
In South Africa, a metropolitan municipality or Category A municipality is a municipality which executes all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation...
. In the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
It is situated in the Helderberg
Helderberg
Helderberg is a wine-producing area in the Western Cape of South Africa.Originally known as the 'Hottentots-Holland' area, it was renamed 'Helderberg' by the City of Cape Town following concerns about possible racist connotations in the name...
area (formerly called Hottentots Holland), about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) east of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and 10 kilometres (6 mi) from Strand.
The town is overlooked by the imposing Helderberg
Helderberg
Helderberg is a wine-producing area in the Western Cape of South Africa.Originally known as the 'Hottentots-Holland' area, it was renamed 'Helderberg' by the City of Cape Town following concerns about possible racist connotations in the name...
(meaning "clear mountain"), a part of the Hottentots-Holland
Hottentots-Holland
The Hottentots Holland mountain range is part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Table Mountain Sandstone and forms an impressive range to the...
range of mountains.
The vehicle registration code for Somerset West is CFM and the post code is 7130 for street addresses, and 7129 for post office boxes.
History
The land was initially bought from local people and a cattle post was established here by Dutch soldiers in 1672.A town developed around the Lourens River (originally "Tweederivier") and the farm of Vergelegen
Vergelegen
Vergelegen is an historic wine estate near Somerset West, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.-Foundation:The estate was settled in 1700 by an early Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan van der Stel...
(Dutch: "remotely situated"), an 18th-century farmhouse built in the historic Cape Dutch style
Cape Dutch architecture
-Introduction:Cape Dutch architecture is an architectural style found in the Western Cape of South Africa. The style was prominent in the early days of the Cape Colony, and the name derives from the fact that the initial settlers of the Cape were primarily Dutch...
by Willem Adriaan van der Stel
Willem Adriaan van der Stel
Willem Adriaan van der Stel was appointed as extraordinary Council of the Dutch Indies, and Governor of the Cape Colony, a way station for the Dutch East India Company , from January 23, 1699 to 1707...
, governor of the Cape and son of Simon van der Stel
Simon van der Stel
Simon van der Stel was the last Commander and first Governor of the Cape Colony, the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.-Background:...
, who gave his name to the nearby town of Stellenbosch. Willem Adriaan was later sent back to Holland after being charged with corruption and cruelty towards local Dutch farmers. The farm is now owned by a subsidiary of the large mining company Anglo American, who have restored the farmhouse to its original magnificence and continue to produce some of South Africa's best wines there. The farm is open to tourists.
The town was named Somerset after an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
governor of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
during the 1800s, Lord Charles Henry Somerset, with the suffix 'West' being added after 1825 to differentiate it from Somerset East, another South African town in the Eastern Cape. In the 1830s, Sir Lowry's Pass
Sir Lowry's Pass
Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots-Holland mountain range between Somerset West and Grabouw on the main national road between Cape Town and the Garden Route...
, named after later governor Sir Lowry Cole, was constructed to link the town with outposts further east over the Hottentots-Holland
Hottentots-Holland
The Hottentots Holland mountain range is part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Table Mountain Sandstone and forms an impressive range to the...
mountains.
In the 1960s, the AECI
AECI
AECI Limited is a South African chemicals group and is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange.-History:The company was registered as African Explosives and Chemical Industries in 1924, with its headquarters in Johannesburg...
factory between Somerset West and Strand was the second largest dynamite factory in the world.
Local attractions
Somerset West has a fairly decorative display of ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
lights erected atop the street lights of the Main Road. The Helderberg Lights Festival (aka the Strawberry Festival), a flea market and parade, normally complements these lights.
The area also has its own community radio station, Radio Helderberg
Radio Helderberg
Radio Helderberg Is a community radio station situated in the Helderberg basin area of the Western Cape, South Africa. They broadcast on FM at a frequency of 93.6. The Radio station is the only one located in Somerset west.-History:...
, broadcasting community notices and playing adult orientated pop music.
The Helderberg Nature Reserve, a 363 hectare natural wildlife preserve opened in 1964, contains a wide variety of smaller fauna (buck, tortoises and other reptiles) and outstanding specimens of indigenous flora such as protea
Protea
Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
and fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
.
The Vergelegen Wine Estate lies just outside the town itself. The buildings on the estate constitute fine examples of Cape Dutch architecture
Cape Dutch architecture
-Introduction:Cape Dutch architecture is an architectural style found in the Western Cape of South Africa. The style was prominent in the early days of the Cape Colony, and the name derives from the fact that the initial settlers of the Cape were primarily Dutch...
.
Somerset West contains a number of sporting facilities including several golf courses.
The historic town of Stellenbosch is reachable via the R44 motorway (approx 18 km/11 mi away). The area between Somerset West and Stellenbosch also encompasses many vineyards and wineries (e.g. Rust-en-Vrede, Alto, J.P. Bredell) where visitors can sample and purchase wine. The oldest remaining vineyard in South Africa, Vergelegen
Vergelegen
Vergelegen is an historic wine estate near Somerset West, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.-Foundation:The estate was settled in 1700 by an early Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan van der Stel...
, is situated on the outskirts of Somerset West.
In recent years many guest houses and B&Bs have opened up in Somerset West, since it is conveniently located for Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
(40 kilometres (24.9 mi) away on the N2 motorway), the beaches at the Strand and Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, close to Strand. It is situated on the northeastern corner of False Bay about 50 km from Cape Town to the south of the N2 national road and is named after Robert Jacob Gordon , the Dutch explorer of Scottish descent...
, as well as the Western Cape's numerous wine farms.
Education
The town has a range of primary and secondary educational facilities.Primary schools
- Somerset West Primary School (Summies)
- Somerset House
- Somerset College
- Somerset West Private School (SWPS)
- Helderberg Primary School
- De Hoop Primary
- Beaumont Primary
- International School of Helderberg
- Danie Ackerman Primary School
High schools
- Hottentots-HollandHottentots Holland High SchoolHottentots Holland High School is an Afrikaans- and English-speaking school in the Western Cape in South Africa, situated between the towns of Somerset West and Strand. The parallel-medium, co-educational school, situated to the north of the N2 national road, was opened by Dr G. G. Cillie, Chairman...
- Parel ValleiParel Vallei High SchoolParel Vallei High School is a dual-medium high school located in Parel Vallei, a suburb of Somerset West, which is in the Western Cape, South Africa. In summer it competes in inter schools sports activities with Hoërskool Strand and Hottentots Holland High School...
- Somerset College
- Somerset Private
- Helderberg High School
- International School of Helderberg
- Gordeon High School
List of suburbs
- Boskloof Eco Estate
- Bridgewater
- Briza
- Dennegeur
- Die Wingerd
- Erinvale
- Fernwood
- Garden Village
- Golden Acre
- Golden Hill
- Helderrand
- Heldervue
- Helderzicht
- Helena Heights
- Jacques Hill
- La Concorde
- La Sandra
- Land en Zeezicht
- Montclair
- Monte Sereno
- Morningside
- Parel ValleiParel ValleiParel Vallei is a suburb of Somerset West in the Western Cape, South Africa. There is a local high school, Parel Vallei High School.There is a section of upper Parel Vallei road that is known as Spook Hill. On this section of the road it appears as if downhill actually is uphill and vice versa....
- Rome Glen
- Roundhay
- Somerset Ridge
- Spanish Farm
- Steynsrust
- The Links
- World's View
Famous persons
- Henry Vollam MortonHenry Vollam MortonHenry Canova Vollam Morton, was a journalist and pioneering travel writer from Lancashire, England, best known for his prolific and popular books on Britain and the Holy Land...
- journalist and travel writer - Selborne BoomeSelborne BoomeSelborne Boome is a rugby union player who has made 20 appearances for the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He also played for Northampton Saints and the provincial team, the Stormers.- External links :...
- Rugby union player - Ramsay CarelseRamsay CarelseRamsay Carelse is a South African high jumper.He was born in Somerset West. He finished fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships, fifth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal at the 2006 African Championships...
- High jumper - Chris McGregorChris McGregorChristopher McGregor , was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa.- Early influences :...
- Jazz pianist, bandleader and composer - Ernest "Eddie" PeirceErnest PeirceErnest "Eddie" Peirce was a South African boxer who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.He was born in Somerset West and died in Apache Junction, Arizona, United States....
- Boxer. - Trevor ImmelmanTrevor ImmelmanTrevor John Immelman is a South African professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.-Early years:Immelman was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Born into a golfing family , he took up golf at the age of five. He attended Hottentots Holland High School...
- is a professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.