Pilgrim's Rest
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:56 am
These images were taken in 1976, with a Nikon F camera using a Nikkor-H 50mm f2.0 lens and on Kodak Tri-X film rated at ASA 400 and processed in Agfa Rodinal 1:50. Tri-X and Rodinal are a terrible combination but at the time, they were all I had. The little town of Pilgrim’s Rest lies in the hills some 100 kms from Nelspruit in Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It was established in 1873 when alluvial gold was discovered in the surrounding hills and became the second gold rush after the Witwatersrand. It was the location of the Emergency Mint during the second Anglo-Boer war, where the now extremely rare Veld Pond was struck. Very much the same as any frontier town, it remained pretty much un-changed until it was declared a National Monument in 1986. When these images were taken, it was still a functioning town with a hotel, general store and livery yard. The permanent population was around 150.
- The Royal Hotel where we used to take afternoon tea.
- A shady lane in the residential area
- The entrance to the livery yard
- The general dealer's store
- Reliable transport
- The general dealer's cat.