Somerset West Then and Now
Over the 200 years that our village has grown and changed, some things have shifted dramatically, while others have remained remarkably familiar. This Heritage Day, we’re taking a little trip down memory lane to look at Somerset West as it once was, and how it has evolved into the town we know today.
We recently caught up with local historian Brian de Villiers, who generously gave us access to his collection of historic Somerset West photographs. Many were taken by his grandfather, Norman McLeod, founder and owner of the District Mail. Others come from a booklet produced in 1920, which promoted Somerset West as one of South Africa’s most idyllic places to retire.
We’ve used these photographs as our “then” references and recreated the scenes as closely as we could today. So, let’s take a walk through the village of yesteryear and see just how much has changed – and what remains surprisingly familiar.
