.. continued
The route over Botha's Hill from Botha's Halfway House and down past Potgieter's farm was tortuous. A cutting had to be excavated up the eastern side of Botha's Hill and then again down the western side. In 1855, on the western edge of Potgieter's farm, E.B. Clough established Clough's Half-Way House, described by one patron as "one of the best along the road". In this shallow valley next to Alverstone, it was renamed "Clough's Royal Hotel" after Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's second son, visited it. The inn-keeper was Thomas Arnold and the place became a popular stage-coach stop-off on the trip to and from Pietermaritzburg. By 1884, after the railway went through, the inn had closed down but part of it still stands today in the cane-fields. Many people had doubted that a railway could ever be built through the rugged terrain from Durban to Pietermaritzburg but, in September 1878, it had reached Pinetown and just 7 months later, Botha's Hill. Rains held up construction, embankments collapsed, and manual labour and blasting preceded the laying of the line, " … but otherwise the whole project was proceeding extremely well." (Bulpin) The Botha's Hill station stands today as it was 120 years ago. The Botha's Hill Hotel was built in 1884 on the hill near the station and provided meals and overnight accommodation for travelers on the road or by train..
SOME LATER HISTORY
The Botha's Hill Trading Store was established in about 1920 (alongside the new road past the station), and a butchery and post office a little further up. Opposite the Trading Store was Bob Emmett's Wayside Store. In 1930 Clement Stott, who owned large tracts of land here, established the village: Botha's Hill Estates. His own mansion was on the northern edge of the hill (next to Warwickshire Cresc), with vast views over the Valley of a Thousand Hills. He reputedly used to have hunting parties into the valley below. He donated land on the hilltop for the new Kearsney College, which moved from Stanger in 1931. His son, Dr Halley Stott, founded the Valley Trust which provided health-care and training in sustainable agriculture to residents of the tribal land in the nearby KwaNyuswa valley. By now, people were starting to build homes in the little village. Clement Stott had plans for a hotel in Ridge Road and for a golf course on what had been Potgieter's farm in the Assagay valley. A Country Club was planned where Rob Roy Hotel now stands, and the hotel opened in 1935. Rob Roy burned to the ground in December 1962 and was rebuilt by Rolf Paeper, a well-known present resident of Botha's Hill. In the late 1930's a small zoo and tea garden was opened by Mr and Mrs Burnand on the property just to the left of the present Kearsney gates, and they had a snake pit, lions, buck, and monkeys. The zoo was closed in the early 40's following public complaints, but the tea garden continued for a while in the hands of Mr & Mrs Fred Dawes. The Botha's Hill Water Company had been formed in the early 30's and water was pumped from the Umhlatuzana River in Potgieter's valley up to tanks at Kearsney College and to the concrete reservoir in Ridge Road. Regional water came in the early 1940's. A bit later another store, Roberts' Foodliner, opened just above the present garage and was run by Stan Roberts and Hersie Jones, later moving and expanding to the entrance of Botha Rd where the Fainting Goat Centre now lies.
Probably the most outstanding feature of Botha's Hill is the incredible vista of the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the myriad of sand-stone-capped hills incised by streams and rivulets in the granite basin, with the Umgeni River and Inanda Dam in the northern distance. No wonder thousands of tourists flock annually to this scenic spot to absorb its charm.
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The route over Botha's Hill from Botha's Halfway House and down past Potgieter's farm was tortuous. A cutting had to be excavated up the eastern side of Botha's Hill and then again down the western side. In 1855, on the western edge of Potgieter's farm, E.B. Clough established Clough's Half-Way House, described by one patron as "one of the best along the road". In this shallow valley next to Alverstone, it was renamed "Clough's Royal Hotel" after Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's second son, visited it. The inn-keeper was Thomas Arnold and the place became a popular stage-coach stop-off on the trip to and from Pietermaritzburg. By 1884, after the railway went through, the inn had closed down but part of it still stands today in the cane-fields. Many people had doubted that a railway could ever be built through the rugged terrain from Durban to Pietermaritzburg but, in September 1878, it had reached Pinetown and just 7 months later, Botha's Hill. Rains held up construction, embankments collapsed, and manual labour and blasting preceded the laying of the line, " … but otherwise the whole project was proceeding extremely well." (Bulpin) The Botha's Hill station stands today as it was 120 years ago. The Botha's Hill Hotel was built in 1884 on the hill near the station and provided meals and overnight accommodation for travelers on the road or by train..
SOME LATER HISTORY
The Botha's Hill Trading Store was established in about 1920 (alongside the new road past the station), and a butchery and post office a little further up. Opposite the Trading Store was Bob Emmett's Wayside Store. In 1930 Clement Stott, who owned large tracts of land here, established the village: Botha's Hill Estates. His own mansion was on the northern edge of the hill (next to Warwickshire Cresc), with vast views over the Valley of a Thousand Hills. He reputedly used to have hunting parties into the valley below. He donated land on the hilltop for the new Kearsney College, which moved from Stanger in 1931. His son, Dr Halley Stott, founded the Valley Trust which provided health-care and training in sustainable agriculture to residents of the tribal land in the nearby KwaNyuswa valley. By now, people were starting to build homes in the little village. Clement Stott had plans for a hotel in Ridge Road and for a golf course on what had been Potgieter's farm in the Assagay valley. A Country Club was planned where Rob Roy Hotel now stands, and the hotel opened in 1935. Rob Roy burned to the ground in December 1962 and was rebuilt by Rolf Paeper, a well-known present resident of Botha's Hill. In the late 1930's a small zoo and tea garden was opened by Mr and Mrs Burnand on the property just to the left of the present Kearsney gates, and they had a snake pit, lions, buck, and monkeys. The zoo was closed in the early 40's following public complaints, but the tea garden continued for a while in the hands of Mr & Mrs Fred Dawes. The Botha's Hill Water Company had been formed in the early 30's and water was pumped from the Umhlatuzana River in Potgieter's valley up to tanks at Kearsney College and to the concrete reservoir in Ridge Road. Regional water came in the early 1940's. A bit later another store, Roberts' Foodliner, opened just above the present garage and was run by Stan Roberts and Hersie Jones, later moving and expanding to the entrance of Botha Rd where the Fainting Goat Centre now lies.
Probably the most outstanding feature of Botha's Hill is the incredible vista of the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the myriad of sand-stone-capped hills incised by streams and rivulets in the granite basin, with the Umgeni River and Inanda Dam in the northern distance. No wonder thousands of tourists flock annually to this scenic spot to absorb its charm.
read more