| Bathurst | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -33.5039°N 26.8239°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Eastern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Sarah Baartman |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Ndlambe |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1820[1] |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 73.5 |
| Population Total: | 6368 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 90.0% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 1.6% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 7.9% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.4% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 84.4% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 9.1% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 3.8% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 2.7% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 6166 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 6166 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 046 |
Bathurst is about inland from Port Alfred, on the R67 road, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, and is named after Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State for the Colonies by Sir Rufane Donkin.[3] Its chief claim to fame is that it was the early administrative centre established by the British Government for the 1820 British Settlers who were sent to the district as a buffer between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa pastoralists who were migrating southwards and westwards along the coast. Bathurst is now part of the Ndlambe Local Municipality in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality of the Eastern Cape.
Many of the original settler houses and other buildings have been preserved, and there remains much of the look and feel of an English village of the early 19th century. The Pig and Whistle Inn, at the heart of the village, is reputedly the oldest extant pub in the country, built in 1821 by Thomas Hartley, a blacksmith who came from Nottinghamshire with the settlers. After accommodation was added to the pub, it became known as the Bathurst Inn. Legend has it that it was nicknamed "The Pig & Whistle" by the men at the nearby 43 Air School in World War II.
While time has moved slowly in Bathurst, there is an increasing population of artists, those seeking a more peaceful lifestyle, academics (Rhodes University is only away), and retirees.
Bathurst hosts a pineapple museum whose building is shaped like a tall pineapple.[4] The museum is in the agricultural town of Bathurst, a town known as pineapple country, on a pineapple farm known as Summerhill Pineapple Farm, an 1820 Settlers farm. In 1833, John Hawkins, who was a founder member of the Bathurst Agricultural Society, purchased the farm for 2,000 pounds. He was also one of the first farmers to plant pineapples.[5] The Big Pineapple represents the region's pineapple industry. The settlers who arrived in the 1820s struggled to grow crops until the first pineapple was planted in 1865.[6] The gigantic structure is a tribute to their agricultural success. It was planned to be constructed by the members of Bathurst's agricultural community in the 1980s. Construction for the structure actually began in 1990 and lasted for over 12 months. The structure was built with the intention of giving more exposure to the local pineapple industry.[7] The Bathurst area delivers over 135 000 tons annually to factories in East London.[8] Although it is mostly a copy of the Big Pineapple located in Queensland, Australia, the Big Pineapple in Bathurst is taller by just over two feet and thus is the World's Largest Pineapple. The structure has four floors, including a gift shop with a variety of pineapple products, a museum covering the history of pineapple farming in South Africa, a video room, and an observation deck with views over the surrounding farmlands to the Indian Ocean.[9] The “skin” of the Big Pineapple is steel and concrete, covered in glass fibre.
Bathurst neighbours the Waters Meeting Nature Reserve, home to many species of animals, bird and plants. The reserve offers hiking trails, picnic spots and a viewpoint of the river and valley. The surrounding area hosts pineapple farms, game reserves and cattle and sheep ranches. It is a 10-minute drive to the beach town of Port Alfred, and 45 minutes from the cultural mecca of Grahamstown.