One of the good things about hosting a large global event like the 2010 World Cup is the way we were able do things that previously seemed impossible. Like regular road closures to create safe pedestrian spaces, reliable public transport, dressing the city in bright colours, colourful wall murals and outdoor advertisements, flaming vuvuzelas, and reorganisation of informal markets, amongst others.
When we review the gains and lessons from the World Cup, we need to assess the extent to which we were able to go beyond ‘business as usual’ thinking, and ensure we don’t go back to the traditional ways of doing things.
For example, when I walked around the temporary markets created for Grand Parade traders displaced by the 2010 Fan Fest, I was struck by the possibility of being able to completely reorganise the way in which the Castle of Good Hope functions in relationship to its neighbours and urban environment.
Temporary market located next to the Castle moat for the 2010 World Cup
The experience of the temporary market allows one to imagine the possibilities of better utilising the neglected and abandoned spaces around the Castle on a more permanent basis
The Castle, built 1666-1679, is the oldest surviving building in South Africa. It sits slap bang in the middle of the city centre, near public transport, but remains pretty isolated from all the surrounding activities, spaces and buildings. It is simply not living up to its mandate of being “a centre of global significance that is the epitome of social, cultural and military heritage, accessible to all citizens of South Africa and the world”.
This image of the Castle of Good Hope is taken from the Castle's official website. The way the Castle is depicted serves to reinforce its isolation from surrounding buildings, precincts and activities
The main entrance to the Castle of Good Hope
About 130 000 people visit the Castle every year, way below its full potential. It could become one of the leading cultural spaces in the city, not just for visitors but for locals. It needs to help tell the story of the city and the country more inclusively, help drive the regeneration of the East City and the redevelopment of District Six and be integrated into the upgrade of the Cape Town Station precinct.
In my view, three things need to happen. Firstly, a proper precinct plan, which better integrates the Castle into the city centre and addresses the problem of dead spaces and poor access routes, needs to be drawn up and implemented. If one exists, please let me know.
More specifically, the Castle needs to become part of the East City Design Initiative and the Creative Cape Town programme.
The Castle is located right next to the Grand Parade, the beautifully-restored Old Drill Hall and the City Hall, yet does not form part of the precinct spatially or culturally
At the moment, the bustling central city, a mere two blocks away from the Castle, could be on another planet for all the interactivity that takes place
Lower Strand Street, located between the Castle and the CT Station, currently forms the 'armpit' of the city centre - remote, unsafe, unused.
Grossly underutilised spaces and buildings between the Castle and the Good Hope Centre
The road out of the Castle parking lot leads directly into Harrington Street and the rich and varied activities in the East City, yet fails to connect the Castle to its surrounds
This map, taken from the East City Design Initiative, shows that the Castle forms an integral part of the underutilised axis of activities from the Grand Parade to the Good Hope Centre. It also acts as one of the 'gateways' to the East City itself
Secondly, a new approach to managing and developing the Castle needs to be put in place. While its military heritage is important, the Castle should be utilised primarily as a people’s cultural space, available to the citizens of Cape Town and our visitors. The potential and possibilities of using this space for bringing people, particularly families, children and students back into the city centre, is enormous. There are some great projects already located at the Castle, in particular, the Good Hope Art Studios and the Iziko William Fehr collection of historical paintings and furnishings, which would benefit if the Castle became more part of city life.
The beautiful, but relatively underutilised Castle herb garden in the middle of the city centre
If integrated properly into the surrounding urban environment, the Castle could offer supurb places for families and children, something lacking in the city centre
The daily firing of the signal cannon is an example of an activity at the Castle that could attract far greater numbers of locals, especially children, if marketed properly
The Castle currently hosts the Good Hope Art Studios, with 24 artists in residence in the Castle. However, this project is relatively unknown due to the isolation of the Castle. For more information, see www.smallartworks.biz
'Entrance to the Castle' by Vivien Kohler, one of the Good Hope Art Studios artists in residence
'Eyes Witness' by Jedaja Ikoli, an artist in residence. For more information email jedajaikoli@hotmail.com
Zavick Botha, aka 'Supadog' is another local artist in residence. See www.zavick.com
The Castle Forge is the studio of artist blacksmith Nicolas Lehman. See www.forge.co.za
Thirdly, the Castle needs to be more thoroughly reclaimed from its colonial and apartheid history. The Castle was at the heart of the original displacement of indigenous people and their livestock from the waters of the Camissa River 350 years ago, and, like Robben Island, acts as a metaphor for the history of conquest, dispossession and struggle in South Africa. This story needs to be told more boldly and inclusively not just through exhibitions within the Castle, but with the Castle as the central protagonist.
The Castle's Leerdam is the only place in the country (that I know of) where flags of all the administrations since 1652 are allowed to be flown. This offers a unique opportunity for the Castle to tell the full history of Cape Town, which in turn tells the story of the origins of our nation.
'Uniting People' is a set of sculptures at the Castle designed by Nicolas Lehmann of The Forge to celebrate the coming together of different people, nations and cultures at the 2010 World Cup
'Ghoema & Glitter: New Year Carnival in Cape Town' is an Iziko Social History exhibition at the Good Hope Gallery at the Castle which showcases social life, politics, identity, popular culture, ritual and negotiating day-to-day life in Cape Town. The exhibition, which is on until January 2011, is a good example of how the Castle can be used to tell the collective stories of the city
The current Castle Control Board, according to the 2008/09 Annual Report, is made up of representatives appointed by the Department of Defence, the Minister of Defence, Department of Public Works, City of Cape Town, Western Cape Provincial Government, Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Iziko Museums, South African Heritage Resources Agency, Officer Commanding Army Support Base Western Cape and South African Tourism Board (via Cape Town Routes Unlimited).
The challenge is for these agencies to work more closely with local organisations to ensure that the Castle can take its rightful place in the economic, social and cultural development of the city and the country.
The 2010 World Cup has taught us to think big, beyond ‘business as usual’. Let’s see how the Castle can become part of this new way of doing things.
A room with a view. The Castle provides supurb views of the surrounding urban environment as well as Lion's Head
Table Mountain, juxtaposed against the Castle walls, is softened by winter mists
I fully agree with your view on the Castle of Good Hope and we have implemented these initiatives to ensure that the Castle becomes an integral part of the City of Cape Town. It is also worth mentioning that the Horse and Carriage also operates from the Castle and with proper marketing and City participation, this can be a wonderful addition to what the Castle (and the City) has to offer. Even the signage to the Castle of Good Hope needs serious consideration. Signage to Kirstenbosch and Table Mountain are very visible and the Castle should receive the same treatment.
I appreciate your inputs and I am delighted to see that your vision of the Castle will most definitely be beneficial to its future.
It has an educational value and we intend to improve these values.
We are also fortunate to perform the “Changing of the Guard” at 12h00 during weekdays, which due to limited resources had to be discontinued in 2002.
I must also compliment you on the photos taken.
Castle Greetings
Francois Morkel
Castle of Good Hope: Manager
It seems a pity that the castle is so cut off from the public space of the Parade and that if the two were to be (re-?)connected both places would benefit – imagine being able to walk right up to the castle on the parade without having to cross the road that now divides them.One wonders how essential that part of Buitenkant street is to the circulation of traffic in the city? Of course it is always a pity to truncate a movement artery that contributes to the “fine grain” of the city, but the feeling of connectedness and approachability that its suppression would bring might break the castle’s isolation that results in the gardens and areas around the moat vestiges being so under-used, and let them become a new urban park. It might be that the traffic could be slowed down very much in that segment of the road making sure that it is perceived as predominantly pedestrian – a bit like the roads crossing over the St Georges pedestrian mall. In Venice where I live, we have the Forte Marghera on the mainland ,straddling a major waterway connecting the town of Mestre to the lagoon, which has the same problem of isolation – a condition common to all fortifications which are repelling , impermeable and inscrutable by their very nature. The city wants to reclaim this fort for public use and there is a debate around it, some concluding that the space immediately around the fort is the most important area to recuperate and render useful to the urban population, while the castle or fort itself can remain an ‘island’ within it.