Rhodes Village is to be found in the remote southern Drakensberg, Eastern Cape.
Named after Cecil John Rhodes, it was founded in 1891 around agriculture, particularly stock-farming. The NGK congregation of Rossville, named for the Rev David Ross, was established in 1892.
Rhodes Conservation Area was proclaimed through gazetted By-Laws in 1997 under the auspices of the National Monuments Act.
Rhodes Village is a tranquil place of karoohuisies and Victoria-era cottages amidst tall trees (all introduced, as the village is above the tree line). The gentle cooing of turtledoves and the bleating of sheep hardly disturb the quiet dirt streets with their grassy verges, bounded by water furrows lined with dressed stones or river rocks.
Across the pastures, the northern boundary is marked by the Bell River, where the wild trout are. To the south lies the commonage, a peaceful tract of montane grassland with many endemic alpine and sub-alpine plants and flowers. Here you will find the vulture restaurant, frequented by the threatened Cape griffon (Gyps coprotheres) and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus). The bearded vulture (lammergeier) in South Africa confined to the Drakensberg mountain range.
Discover more at Rhodes Information Centre
You may also like the I Love Rhodes Village Facebook page
You are at the Rhodes Village Heritage Area website. Blog posts focus on the natural and cultural history and heritage of Rhodes Village and surrounding areas.
