Like most of Historic Wynberg, recorded history of this area begins with the arrival of European settlers in the 1600s. Before this, it was likely a patch of Cape fynbos, and the stream running through it would have made a valuable watering and grazing spot where the Khoekhoe could bring their Nguni cattle.
First administered by the Dutch East India Company, the land passed to the British in 1795 when the Dutch were forced to retreat and the British established a camp on Wynberg hill. By the early 1800s, the area that is now Maynardville was part of a small estate next to the newly established military base on the hill (GC8EED5). Slaves cultivated the uneven ground on either side of the stream, known as the Krakeelwater.
A cottage called Rosendal — still standing in the south-west corner of the park and part of GC821KZ — was built in 1807 as the home of a Lieutenant Louis Ellert, a young officer of the Cape Regiment, and his wife Gertruida (born Baartman).
After Gertruida's husband died on the Eastern border of the Cape Colony, James Mortimer Maynard, a prominent businessman and member of parliament, bought Rosendal from her in 1836. Maynard later bought the adjacent property from her as well and together these made up the site of his new home, Maynard's Villa. Maynard undertook extensive landscaping, building a weir to establish the pond now at the centre of the park. He also contributed to the building of the Methodist church (GC8EEH2) on the edge of his estate.
In 1841, the remains of Napoléon Bonaparte were exhumed from his grave on St Helena Island and moved to Dôme des Invalides in Paris. James Maynard bought the gates that guarded the St Helena tomb and had them shipped to Cape Town to be placed at the driveway to his estate, where they remained for over a hundred years. The willow grove at Maynardville was cultivated from cuttings taken from the trees surrounding the tomb.
When Maynard died in 1874, his estate passed to his nephew William Mortimer Maynard Farmer. Farmer, who was a director of the Union Castle Company, joined and rebuilt the original houses on the property to form a large home suitable for lavish entertainment. Unfortunately, his home is no longer standing but there's a plaque marking its position near the current ablution blocks.
His grandson Gerald Bernard sold the property to the City Council of Cape Town around the 1940s.
Maynardville Open-Air Theatre
An important part of the modern park is the open-air theatre in its north-western corner. The theatre had its origins in late 1949, when a local philanthropist, Margaret Molteno, submitted an application for municipal permission to convert the little-used park into an open-air theatre for dance performances. The open-air theatre officially began operation from the evening of 1 December 1950 with the successful performances of three ballets.
Unusually for the time, Maynardville had been preserved as "Open to All" and free from segregation. This allowed the first audiences to be multiracial, which is one of the reasons the site was chosen.
In 1953, instead of organising the annual ballet performance, Mrs Molteno approached two well-known actresses and invited them to establish Shakespearean seasons. The Shakespearean seasons grew into the immensely popular annual tradition of "Shakespeare-in-the-Park". As a result, in February 1958 the Maynardville Open Air Theatre was finally declared a permanent institution by the City Council. Now firmly established, the ballet performances were begun again, and both have run in parallel ever since.
Today the Maynardville Theatre Trust and Artscape manage the Shakespeare Series taking place between December and February. It is something of an educated Capetonian's rite of passage to come on a summer evening, picnic in the park until sunset, and then enjoy a Shakespearean play at the amphitheatre. If you are lucky you already had this opportunity as a scholar. You will know from experience that the theatre bug only needs to bite once, and you'll be coming back every year for more! If not, don't let another summer go by without enjoying this.
The park also hosts an annual carnival in March of each year, formerly known as as the Community Chest Carnival and now dubbed the Wynberg Family Festival.
Maynardville is a popular family recreational area throughout the year, with an extensive playground and ample seating. Weekends see it play host to picnics and birthday parties around the pond.
Note: the park is open 07:30-18:00 in winter and 07:00-19:00 in summer, and stays open in the evenings when there are productions on at the theatre. The GZ may become temporarily inaccessible for the week of the Wynberg Family Festival each March. BYOP.
This cache and its container are a tribute to the very first cache I found in Cape Town — Catch the Theatre Bug (GC6ME7M).
For a list of references and more information, please see: