City reconstructing Cape Town’s historical information

08 October 2024

The City of Cape Town’s Environment and Heritage Resources Information Centre (EHRIC) has expanded its collection to include more material relating to the history and development of Cape Town. EHRIC, together with the Western Cape Government, holds the City’s original maps, building plans, property records, newspaper articles and reports. Today, 7 October 2024, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys, visited the centre located on the fifth and ninth floors of 44 Wale Street where she was shown invaluable City maps and documents.

The City’s Historical Map Collection is maintained and developed as a function of the Environmental Management Department’s Metro Heritage Office. It is housed at their 44 Wale Street offices in the Environmental and Heritage Resources Information Centre (EHRIC). EHRIC was established from the disbanded old municipal reference library for the purposes of giving access to records and facilitate good heritage management.

Since its inception in 2010, EHRIC has grown to include critical resources such as:

• A map series includes the work of William Barclay Snow, Alexander Wilson and Walter Thom
• Historical Mayoral Minutes and Agendas from 1890
• Official Planning Reports
• Historical photographs and glass negatives of the City
• Newspaper clippings of interest to the City that date back to 1898
• Historical surveys and plans of the city that date back as far as 1862
• Historical Property Records
• Copies of old Building Plans
• Gazettes (including early newspapers) from 1809

'The City's historical map collection is a very sensitive and valuable source of information. We need to look after it carefully and the acquisition of the ninth-floor strongroom enables the curation of these documents in an environment that is safe and appropriate. The maps were spread over five rooms in the past, but now all of them are in one room that is secure, clean, dust free and has block out blinds.

‘The next big step is the restoration and digitisation of these priceless maps, plans and heritage-related documents. These are truly rare gems, they cannot be found anywhere else in the world and must be protected to ensure that future generations can access them,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.

Researchers, historians, town planners, City staff and interested members of the public can visit EHRIC by appointment via Mr Willem Hutten: willem.hutten@capetown.gov.za

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office