King Williams Town lies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, 50km west of East London, on the banks of the upper Buffalo River. King Williams Town holds the unique distinction of being established twice within the space of 12 years.
Bhisho (meaning 'buffalo' in isiXhosa) lies just 8km east of King Williams Town. Bhisho was the capital city of the former Ciskei homeland (Bantustan) in South Africa, but the Ciskei ceased to exist in 1994, when it was reincorporated into the Republic of South Africa, following the first democratic election in South African history.
Today Bhisho is seen by some as a suburb of King William's Town, but in fact, Bhisho is a seperate city from King Williams Town all-together, and is the provincial capital and the seat of the provincial government of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
King Williams Town falls under the Buffalo City Local Municipality and the Amathole District Municipality. The N2 national road connects the historical King Williams Town to East London and Cape Town.
The economy of this large area is today based mainly on cattle and sheep farming, and the town itself has a large industrial base producing textiles, soap, candles, candy, cartons and clothing.
Interesting places in King Williams Town
Tourist attractions in and around King Williams Town include historical places, beautiful places and nature, culture and water sports.King William's Town has a number of national monuments and some very interesting museums.
King Williams Town is renowned for its beautiful 19th century architecture and stone buildings built by the British military, which are still preserved in their original state.
King Williams Town's Grey Hospital (1856), at the corner of Eales and Lonsdale street, is the oldest of these beautiful buildings, and boasts 50 mm thick teak doors, made from salvaged timber from a ship wreck. The Kennaway Castle was wrecked off the East London coast.
The British Kaffrarian Savings Bank building on the Maclean Square in King Williams Town (also referred to as "BK Bank") is another historical building, which has been home to a financial institution of some kind, from the 19th Century until today.
King Williams Town Town Hall, in Maclean Street, is a stately administrative centre, built in 1867, which now houses a small theatre.
Soldiers from the King Williams Town garrison constructed the Holy Trinity Anglican Church at 34 Smith Street, King Williams Town, in 1850.
Fort Murray was a British fort, dating back to 1848, on the banks of the Buffalo River, built after the Seventh Frontier War, of which only ruins remain today.
The South African Missionary Museum in Berkeley Street, which details the missionary history of the King Williams Town area and of South Africa, is housed in the building of the Old Methodist Church in King Williams Town.
These buildings, including the historic King Williams Town Deeds Office building, and the Amathole Museum building in King Williams Town are all symbols of architecture of King Williams Town's early days.
Amathole Museum
The Amathole Museum (previously called the Kaffraria Museum), on the corner of Alexandra Road and Albert Road in King Williams Town was founded in 1884. The Amathole Museum, houses a very impressive display of mammals, said to be the world's largest museum mammal collection, with 25 000 specimens of African mammals. Some of these African mammals are very rare, including one of only two specimen of the Zimbabwean black lechwe, web-footed hares from Calvinia, silver moles from Namaqualand, and a 5,5m tall giraffe.
The Amathole Museum in King Williams Town also holds an interesting exhibit in the form of the legendary Hippopotamus, Huberta (the wandering hippo), who roamed over 800km down the coast of South Africa. Huberta was killed in 1930 in the Keiskamma River.
But the Amathole Museum offers more to visitors than just stuffed mammals. The museum includes exhibits of the missionary history of the King Williams Town area, Xhosa anthropology, German Settler history, military history and other aspects of the local history of King Williams Town.
The Amathole Museum also has research facilities and an Education Centre, and can be contacted at Tel: +27 (0) 43 642 4506, Fax: +27 (0) 43 642 1569, Postal Address: PO Box 1434, King William's Town, 5600, E-mail: lloyd@amathole.org.za.
King Williams Town memorials
The War Memorial in Alexandra Road, which commemorates the British Xhosa wars,
The Queen Victoria Memorial, with four muzzle-loading cannons, which was unveiled in 1899,
Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance
The Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance, and the Steve Biko Grave in the Ginsberg Cemetery, at the entrance to King William's Town on the road from Port Elizabeth, honours the memmory of a famous son from King Williams Town, who was harassed for years during the freedom struggle, and finally killed by the security police, while in their custody. Visitors can also view the House of Steven Biko at 698 Ngxata Street, Ginsberg, King Williams Town.
Site of the Bhisho Massacre
The Bhisho Massacre Monument off Maitland Road outside the Bhisho Stadium, between Bhisho and King William's Town, along with the graves of victims of the Bhisho massacre in the Ginsberg Cemetery, reminds South Africans of the massacre that took place in September 1992.
Ciskei Defence Force troops opened fire on about 70000 ANC supporters, who marched to Bhisho to demand the resignation of then military ruler Brigadier Oupa Gqozo, killing twenty-eight protesters and a soldier, and wounding hundreds, in "four minutes of gunfire".
Mxenge Graves
The graves of the late anti-apartheid-activist lawyer couple, Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge, are on the N2 outside King William's Town, towards Peddie.
Fort Murray
The historic Fort Murray ruins are a national hertiage site, which can be found on the Old Fort Murray Road, outside King Williams Town.
All these are memorials to the King Williams Town's rich religious, military and political background.
Other places of interest in King Williams Town
The King Williams Town Botanical Gardens features five separate conservatories in the large and beautiful gardens.
Several cultural villages are within easy reach of King Williams Town, where visitors can experience the community ambience of the friendly local people.
Just outside King Williams Town, the Maden, Laing and Rooikrantz dams are very beautiful recreational areas, perfect for yachting, fishing and other water sports.
The Amatola Trail, one of South Africa's longest hiking trails, meanders along the rolling slopes of the Amathole mountains, from the Pirie Forest at Maden Dam, all the way to the Hogsback Mountains, offering spectacular views of the indigenous forests, waterfalls and grassy plains.
The mountains in the King Williams town area are a source of many trout streams, which makes for some excellent trout fishing, thanks to the Pirie trout hatchery at Maden Dam, near King Williams Town.
Rainbow and brown trout, as well as the indigenous yellowfish and catfish can be caught here.
The nearest stretch of sandy beach is less than an hour's drive from King Williams Town.
