Napier is a village at the foot of the Soetmuisberg, between Caledon and

Bredasdorp Bredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agu ...

. A blend of century-old cottages and modern houses, surrounded by the rolling farmland which typifies the

Overberg __NOTOC__ Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the ...

region of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, give the village a rural atmosphere. Napier is situated in the

Cape Agulhas Cape Agulhas (; pt, Cabo das Agulhas , "Cape of the Needles") is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of the African continent and the beginning of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian ...

Region with easy access to the seaside villages of Arniston/ Waenhuiskrans, Struisbaai and L´Agulhas.

History

Napier was founded in 1838 through a dispute between two neighbours,

Michiel van Breda Michiel van Breda (1775–1847) was a South African farmer, founder of Bredasdorp, Mayor of Cape Town and a Freemason. Roots Van Breda was born on 12 August 1775 in Cape Town. His parents were Pieter van Breda and Catharina Sophia Myburg. He ma ...

and Pieter Voltelyn van der Byl, over the location of the community church. Michiel van Breda wanted the church sited on his farm, Langefontein, while Pieter Voltelyn van der Byl wanted it built on his property, Klipdrift. Neither van Breda nor van der Byl would give way, so churches were built in both places, the town of Bredasdorp growing around van Breda’s church and the town of Napier founded around Van der Byl’s church, and being named after Sir

George Thomas Napier Sir George Thomas Napier (30 June 1784 – 16 September 1855) was a British Army officer who saw service in the Peninsular War and later commanded the army of the Cape Colony. Life He entered the British Army in 1800, and served with dist ...

, the British governor of the Cape Province at that time. The Feeshuis, one of the oldest buildings in the town, was used as slave quarters during 1810–1820, and then later as a wine cellar, was restored in 1988 to celebrate the town's 150th anniversary. The Dutch Reformed church was built in the form of a Greek cross with teak interior, unique with a beautiful pipe organ made of solid yellow copper. The sundial was erected by Danie du Toit in 1965, who had no training in this field but gained his knowledge through meticulous observation. Time can be read from it, accurate to within 30 seconds.

Tourism

Top Attractions
include various art galleries, a giant sundial at the municipal offices, and an Ox Wagon monument (Kakebeenwa) to commemorate the Ossewa Trek of 1838. The ox wagon monument has an impression of a wagon wheel track made in concrete to commemorate the exodus of dissident Afrikaners from the Western Cape. In the past, Napier's main craftsmen were blacksmiths, a heritage which is commemorated by annual festivals. Other annual events are the Patatfees (Sweet Potato Festival), every June, and the "Voet van Afrika" (Foot of Africa) Marathon which is run in mid-September.

References

External links

Napier Community Portal

Napier

History of Napier
{{Overberg District Municipality Populated places in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality