A stroll through the Company’s Garden

In contrast to the cityscape that encloses it, The Company Gardens is a verdant forest left by the pioneers of South Africa for future generations to enjoy.

Home to a rich variety of flora, as well as a few points of national interest,

The Company Gardens is a great way to escape the hubbub of central town whilst exploring a little Capetonian history.

It all started when a man, aptly named Hendrik Boom (‘Boom,’ being the Dutch translation for ‘tree’) sowed the first soils that the Company Gardens grew from on the 29th April 1652. Boom, a part of Jan Van Riebeeck’s European settlement party, first established the Garden for the sake of providing much needed nourishment and medicinal herbs for sickly and malnourished seafarers.

Soon, the Gardens blossomed into a beauteous botanical site that has remained an iconic Cape Town attraction to this very day. As South Africa grew and changed, The Company Gardens developed under many different influences, leaving in its wake a Garden that hosts both ‘Dutch Baroque,’ ‘Romantic Victorian’ and other aesthetic influences.

Today, The Company Gardens is a main access way through major parts of the city. It enjoys foot traffic from everyday commuters and enthusiastic groups of tourists.

Apart from its plentiful features, the resident squirrels have become somewhat of an attraction on their own. There, tame critters enjoy a treat from passers-by and are bold enough to nibble what they’re offered right from your hand. So if you’re a fan of these bushy tailed creatures, make sure to have a packet of fruits and nuts handy.

Here are a few things to look out for, during your stroll through the Company Gardens;

The oldest cultivated tree in all of South Africa. This pear tree specimen was the first cultivated tree on Cape Town soils. You can still see it deeply rooted in The Company Gardens. There are many other botanically and historically appreciated trees visible within the bounds of the gardens.

The Delville Wood Memorial Garden erected in commemoration of the Delville Wood in France, where the greater part of a South African force of 3, 000 soldiers lost their lives during the First World War.

The Rose Garden: this addition to the Company Gardens is over eight decades old. See many different species of cultivated roses viewable with Table Mountain in the background.

The Statues: See majestic stone renderings of famous icons such as the Cecil Rhodes, Sir George Grey, Jan Christian Smuts and more.

The Aviary: Witness a variety of birdlife, including (but not limited to) Reed Cormorants, Egyptian Geese, Speckled Pigeons, Olive Thrush, European Starlings and Cape Canaries.

There are ample park benches available in sunny and shady areas that make it possible to take in the sights, scents and sounds of The Company Gardens at your own pace. In busier times one could even enjoy a picnic within the gardens. If fortune is in your favour, you could happen upon one of the Garden’s events or see sights such as meditating monks, photo-shoots and dancers practising their routines.

The Government Avenue lined with oak trees on the skirts of The Company Gardens takes you past a few significant buildings, right down from St. George’s Cathedral, The South African Parliament, The National Library and the Tuynhyus.

Take a stroll through the Gardens and you’ll find plenty of diversions to keep you occupied and intrigued. Also bear in mind, during the course of your explorations that you are walking in the place which South Africa grew from.

Treveaux Banks