Observatory, Cape Town

Map of Observatory, from OpenStreetMap.

Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north.

Geography and history

Much of present-day Observatory was a marshy estuary formed by the rivers, with buffalo, hippo, elephant, zebra,jackals, antelope, lions and leopards once prevalent.

Observatory traces its origins to the Koornhoop Colony land grant, in 1657. Officials from the Dutch East India Company were given land in the Lisebeeck River valley, and Jan van Riebeek himself had a farm there, originally called Uitwyk, later Malta Farm.

The name is derived from the location of the first Royal Observatory in the area at 33°56′7.13″S 18°28′38.47″E in 1820. This original site serves as the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory, with an on-site museum exhibiting various historic instruments and telescopes.

Known locally as 'Obs', its proximity to the University of Cape Town (UCT) and its Medical School in particular, have always made it popular with students and lecturers. During the years of apartheid, Observatory was one of the few de facto 'grey' suburbs where all races lived together. It continues to be a somewhat alternative part of town, with 'New Age' style shops and a monthly 'Holistic Fair' at the Community Centre on the first Sunday of each month. It has many churches. The Anglican parish church of St Michael and All Angels, designed by Sir Herbert Baker and the only one of his churches completed to his design, has a strong choral tradition.

It is on the railway line from Cape Town to Simon's Town with regular trains every 40 minutes or so, every hour on Sunday.

Observatory is the location for much of the short-term accommodation used by increasing numbers of overseas, particularly North American and European, students attending UCT.

Economy and popular culture

Observatory has long had a vibrant entertainment scene, perhaps due to it's high proportion of students. There are numerous restaurants, with a high turnover, but some long term stayers include Obz Cafe, Panchos,the Dragon Chinese and Ganesh. Other restaurants include 'Sushi Zone', a Korean restaurant offering sushi as well, and opposite this, a Thai restaurant. At the St. Peter's square mall, the usual mall restaurant chains are present. St. Peter's square is opposite Groote Schuur graveyard.

In Observatory itself, there are a number of bars. Roots, with a rastafarian theme, caters for younger people. Gandalfs, R.O.A.R and Gothem are further down the street but offer a more alternative vibe with music from Rock and Metal. Off Pepper Tree Square, a more middle aged haunt, A Touch of Madness, is to be found. Around the corner, the homeless frequent the al fresco informal bar centring on the Observatory Bottle Store.

Observatory has a soccer and hockey stadium below the station, Hartleyvale, on Liesbeeck Parkway and an outdoor swimming pool that's very popular on summer afternoons - between the two there's a circus school.

Hospitals

Beyond the astronomical observatory is the famous mental hospital, Valkenberg, an impressive Victorian building that has undergone extensive renovations recently. Valkenberg houses the mentally ill in secure accommodation as well as providing out patient care. Beyond Valkenberg is a 'boutique' hotel with a restaurant and bar, the Wild Fig.

‘Obs' also harbours the world famous Groote Schuur Hospital. It was here that Professor Chris Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant on 3 December, 1967. The hospital's emergency department is off the N2 motorway and, consequently, serves the crime-ridden and poor suburbs on the Cape Flats. This skews the statistics, making Obs appear to be a much more violent place than it in fact is.

Crime and security

As with most of Cape Town, crime has been a problem in recent years, with burglary, and muggings as well as minor vandalism and graffiti. Over the past decade there have been about half a dozen murders. A pioneering community security organisation, Obs Watch, ran bicycle patrols for years, but became defunct as a result of a strange quirk of company law. It has been replaced by the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch . Large CCTV cameras have been erected at most of the exits and entrances to Obs. On top of this the Woodstock Police have become increasingly active in getting rid of the scourge of crime from this pretty and friendly suburb.

External links

• History of the South African Astronomical Observatory
• Observatory Neighbourhood Watch
• The History of Observatory