Company+Gardens

Company Gardens is a Cape Town park filled with many statues of historical figures. The park was originally created to be a garden and was made in the 1650s by the region's first European settlers. The settlers used the garden to grow produce that would replenish ships coming into the Cape.

Although not many historical events have taken place there, there are plenty of historical statues and places in the park, including statues of Jan Christian Smuts and Cecil John Rhodes. One of the oldest plants inside the borders of the park is a pear tree estimated to have been planted in 1652, right around when the park was first made. Two more similar, unique items in the park are a sundial from 1781 and a well dated to 1842. The well, to this day, is connected to an underground pipe and reliable for water. A memorial slave bell from 1855 is also native to the park.

Company Gardens is home to countless gardens as well. In particular, there is a Japanese garden with a stone lantern donated by the Japanese Ambassador in 1932. The park also contains a rose, herb, and a rookery garden. Officials have also arranged jogging paths, an aviary, koi fishpond, water features, rare trees, colorful flora displays, and a restaurant for tourist enjoyment.

There are two features in Company Gardens that show South Africa’s past. In 1929 Sir Herbert Baker designed the __Delville__ Wood Memorial Garden. The garden commemorates the 2,300 soldiers the country lost in the battle of Delville Wood in World War II. Finally, the park has two individual museums. Company Gardens is a peaceful and powerful tourist attraction in Cape Town. There are many features that refer to South Africa’s past and what they have gone through as a country.