The Truth about Prestwich
This cache is located along the new Fan Walk on the way to the Green Point Stadium at a place which has some very old and forgotten Cape Town history. Here is the story…
Everyone knows about District 6 and District 9 but this is about District 1, the area now known as Green Point and the Waterfront. During the 1700s and 1800s much of District One was used as an extensive burial ground of unmarked graves for what some historians have called a colonial underclass that included slaves, servants, sailors, indigenous Khoikhoi, African labourers, Muslims and free blacks – all of whom were not given respect and dignity, either in life or in death. This area was generally forgotten by history until recently.
In 2003 some 2 500 unmarked graves were uncovered during excavations for a new building in Prestwich Street, Green Point. Unfortunately, no-one will ever know who these people really were, as the authorities ruled that archaeologists may not carry out any research on the skeletons.
Construction work was halted and the bones were temporarily relocated to a hospital in Woodstock until the new ossuary was built – the Prestwich Mamorial.
Today, the Prestwich Memorial is the final resting place of the skeletal remains and pays tribute to these forgotten people and the contribution they made to building the city into what it is today. It also has on display an informative installation on the colonial history and slave legacy of Cape Town, as well as the development of early public hospitals and the harbour.
The church next door is St Andrew’s Church which was the first Church to open its doors to newly freed slaves in 1838.
Because of the high muggle traffic in this area, this cache is a micro. Please bring your own pen. The cache is available at all hours - but this is Cape Town so use your discretion.
If you enjoy your coffee, please sit down and enjoy one of Cape Town's finest coffees at the coffee shop in the Prestwich Memorial.
PS. Welcome to Cape Town if you're from out of town!