A Walk in Old McGregor: Its Heart and History

(15 reviews)

Cape Winelands audio tour: A Walk in Old McGregor: Its Heart and History

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 45 mins to complete.

Cape Winelands

South Africa

$1.99

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About the Tour

Strolling through the village of McGregor, you'll discover something about its heart, as well as its history. Its stories are part of the valley, part of the mountains around it and the roads within it. We’ll walk together along the quiet main road and the quaint, untarred side streets, past old irrigation ditches and white-washed cottages built in the 1800’s.
I’ll tell you a bit about the many churches, the superb McGregor Brass Band, and the village’s unique architectural style, which is rooted in the use of local materials. We’ll pass the Bakkies and Paddavlei and the hairdresser’s in the Old Court House.
You’ll hear why 100 years ago tram-drivers in Europe might well have heard of McGregor. Our village is not a place on the way to somewhere else, to be passed through- the tall mountains around us see to that. It is a destination all to itself. Come and meet people whose families have lived here for many generations, and learn about this peaceful place, rich in tradition. Be intrigued. Be charmed.

Tour Producer

Rose Kent

1 tour

I’m an insatiably curious person, and I take pleasure in discovering and writing about where I live, and where I travel. I was born in Cape Town and brought up there, but my professional life was spent in England. In 2009 I came to live in McGregor. As there is only a limited amount written down about the early days of the village, and both residents and visitors don’t easily get to know about it, I became intrigued - and embarked on this VoiceMap project. Grateful acknowledgements to: Helaine and Nina Shand, Gerrit Davids, SISTARS, Ewie Arendorff, Marilyn Poole, Jane Banks, Dawid Esau, Rob Leiper, Sabina Regue, Ashley Smith and the VoiceMap team.

Preview Location

Location 21

Architecture in McGregor

Cross Kantoor Street and continue straight.

By the way, if you'd stopped here 100 years ago, on the opposite side of Long Street you'd see many gardens growing sweet potatoes. It was known as "Patatkaap".
Long Street has many examples of charming vernacular architecture u... Cross Kantoor Street and continue straight.

By the way, if you'd stopped here 100 years ago, on the opposite side of Long Street you'd see many gardens growing sweet potatoes. It was known as "Patatkaap".
Long Street has many examples of charming vernacular architecture unique to McGregor. An authoritative book published in 1980, "The Old Buildings of the Cape", by Fransen and Cooke, referred to McGregor as being 'the best preserved village in the Cape'. Many buildings date from before the 1880's.
In the early days, people without money to buy building materials would have had to make do with what they could find around them to build their homes.

Cottages would be built with compacted earth floors and walls made of cob, which is a mixture of mud and straw. The roofs were made of reeds - either papkuil or fluitjieriet, and later of thatch or dekriet. An "eyebrow" shape over the front door served as as a substitute gable, deflecting rainwater and as fire protection.

The fireplace and chimney, or "komyntjie", was built to jut out at the end wall of the cottage. This was called an "abbavuurhard" or "abbatjie". The name refers to the shape of a woman carrying a baby on her back.

Some old buildings are still well cared for, and others have deteriorated badly. Local knowledge of traditional building methods, passed down through many generations, is disappearing. For many residents, the historic and aesthetic concerns about housing are of far less interest than ensuring you have a proper roof over your head. But during the last 50 years, there has been increasing concern about losing McGregor’s architectural heritage.

Groups and individuals have tried many different and sometimes conflicting approaches. But conservation is expensive, and emotions run high, with much political infighting. One group of residents applied to the National Monuments Commission in 1974 to propose that the whole village should have a preservation order. Another faction rejected the idea, and it fell away. Since then, various surveys have been undertaken, and photographic records made.

In 2010 a Restoration Project was set up by the McGregor Heritage Society. Some repairs to old cottages were completed, but it proved difficult to engage enough people's enthusiasm. Gradually modern designs seem to be dominating the village landscape and conservation is an ongoing battle. Read More

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Major Landmarks

McGregor Tourism

Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Church Street &, Voortrekker St, McGregor, 6708, South Africa
Total distance

2km
Final location
72-76 Long St, McGregor, 6708, South Africa
Distance back to start location

168.17m

Directions to Starting Point

The Tourism Office is halfway up the main road, Voortrekker Street, and diagonally opposite the large church with a steeple

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Some of McGregor’s commercial facilities tend to have somewhat idiosyncratic opening hours. BUT you’ll see some excellent coffee shops on your route, and Sistars (lower end of the main street) and How Bazaar (higher up) offer food and drink, as well as being excellent gift shops, and definitely worth a visit.

Best time of day

Be aware that from November to April McGregor has some very hot days, and there’s not a lot of shade on this walk, so choose your time of day with the weather in mind. Also – decide if you prefer the quiet of a weekday morning, or whether you’d like the buzz of people and children who bring parts of the village to life in the late afternoons, early evenings or weekends. However, Friday evenings after 5pm can sometimes be a little too lively.

Precautions

McGregor’s kids and adults and dogs like to greet everyone. Try not to let the tour’s technology prevent you from being friendly in return!

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Questions and Reviews

4.6 / 5

15 Ratings

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