Rhodes Memorial on Devil's Peak in Cape Town, South Africa, is a memorial to English-born South African politician Cecil John Rhodes and was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.
The memorial is situated at Rhodes's favourite spot on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak. The magnificent view facing northeast can be imagined as the start of the Cape to Cairo road, Rhodes's imperial dream of a British colonial Africa which had Rhodes as one of its greatest champions.
Rhodes owned vast areas of the lower slopes of Table Mountain, most of which he gave to the nation on his death. Part of his estate was used for the University of Cape Town upper campus, part is now the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, while much of it was spared from development.
The architect, Sir Herbert Baker, modelled the memorial after the Greek temple of Pergamon. It consists of a massive staircase with 49 steps (one for each year of Rhodes's life) leading from a semi-circular terrace up to a rectangular U-shaped monument formed of pillars. The memorial is built of Cape granite quarried on Table Mountain.
At the bottom of the steps is a bronze statue of a horseman, Energy by George Frederic Watts. Eight bronze lions by John Macallan Swan flank the steps leading up to the memorial, with a bust of Rhodes (also by JM Swan).
The monument was completed and dedicated in 1912. Given Rhodes's later unpopularity due to his imperialism, it is fortunate that an alternative memorial to him never materialised: this proposed a massive "colossus of Rhodes" statue overlooking Cape Town from the summit of Lion's Head, rather like the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
Today the memorial is part of the Table Mountain National Park. There is a well-known tea room behind the memorial, and it is a popular viewpoint, picnicking spot and starting point for walking and hiking on Devil's Peak.
(With grateful thanks to the person who wrote the Wikipedia entry for the info to summarise!)
Originally started the project to improve my photography skills. Over a 2500 photos later it's become a personal diary. I post pictures that mark my...
@palusami He was ill most of his life with heart and lung conditions - the reason he first came to South Africa was that it was popular at the time in England to send people with llung conditions (mostly TB?) out to the dry air of the inland of the country. He fell in love wiht the place, and never really left!
@cmt2812 Yes, the scholarships are a great legacy. My sons are at one of the two South African schools that are endowed with an annual Rhodes scholarship. Now if only the older one would study ... :)
