Cape Town’s Company’s Garden is to Capetonians (Cape Town residents) what Central Park is to New Yorkers, a relaxing green lung within a metropolis. While not nearly on the scale of Central Park, the Company’s Garden was once three times the size of its current 6ha size and was originally established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company to provide vegetables and fruit to passing ships. Master gardener Hendrik Boom was appointed this task and he successfully laid out water canals between the plants and added herbs, roses, vines and medicinal plants to the mix. Over time, official buildings encroached on the land and what remained was developed into an ornamental garden with exotic plants and trees planted. Today, the trees have grown to massive heights and pathways, benches and manicured lawns are there for the public to enjoy. Grey squirrels were introduced into the gardens and they settled in well enough to spread throughout all parts of Cape Town and surrounding leafy suburbs.
Along the paths are several statues, a white granite lantern gifted to the Cape from the Japanese government, an old well dated 1842, a sundial (replaced a number of times) and the ‘old lady on crutches’, the oldest tree in the park. This tree is a pear believed to have been planted in the 1650s that still produces fruit annually but has had to be supported by two posts to prevent it from collapsing. A lovely open air restaurant at the centre of the gardens has outdoor swings and an oversized chessboard to entertain patron’s children. Across from the restaurant is an aviary housing exotic birds.
A Delville Wood Memorial Garden remembers the tragic loss of 100s of South African troops in France during WW1. Bordering the gardens are the South African Museum and Planetarium, the South African Art Gallery, the Jewish Museum and Holocaust Centre, the national library, St George’s Anglican Cathedral and South Africa’s parliamentary buildings.
The pedestrian walk known as The Avenue is where you will find buskers and mimes hoping to make a buck in exchange for a few minutes’ entertainment and during lunchtime the benches are mostly occupied by office workers, sharing their packed lunch with the squirrels and pigeons.
