Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal
Encyclopedia
Kloof is a leafy, middle-
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....

 to upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...

 suburb and small town, that includes a smaller area called Everton, in the greater Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 area of eThekwini
Ethekwini
eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000 that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The majority of its 3,090,126 people speak Zulu...

 in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The word Kloof (cf. cleft) means 'gorge' in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

 and the area is named after the deep ravine formed by the Molweni stream (stream of high cliffs). The Kloof Gorge is part of the 4.47 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi) Krantzkloof Nature Reserve.

Kloof extends from the top of Field's Hill and borders Winston Park
Winston Park
Winston Park is a small residential area that lies between Gillitts and Hillcrest in the Upper Highway Area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Properties in the area are relatively expensive and houses range in size from small condominium developments to several mansions.There is a small school called...

, Gillitts, Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Kloof
Forest Hills is a quiet working class suburb in the Outer West suburbs of Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The area borders on the Kloof Gorge which forms part of the Kranskloof Nature Reserve, and is situated in between Kloof and Waterfall which is also about 7 km from hillcrest...

 and Hillcrest
Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
Hillcrest is a settlement within eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms a part of the Upper Highway Area.-History:Hillcrest was formerly a sleepy village, governed by its own Town Board on the outskirts of Durban that has now become a booming suburb incorporated into the eThekwini...

. These suburbs are collectively known as the Upper Highway Area
Upper Highway Area
The Upper Highway area is a region west of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It includes the main suburbs of Kloof and Hillcrest, as well as the smaller areas of Assagay, Botha's Hill, Forest Hills, Gillitts, Waterfall and Winston Park....

 or the Outer West region of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

.

The M13 highway (built in the 1940s) intersects Kloof and on 16 June this forms part of the route of the annual Comrades Marathon
Comrades Marathon
The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 90 km run in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race...

, an approximately 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) ultra-marathon run between Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...

 and Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 since 1924.

It is a predominantly white
Anglo-African
Anglo-Africans are primarily White African people of largely British descent who live or come from Sub-Saharan Africa and are Anglophone. A large majority live in South Africa...

, English-speaking area. Kloof features several upmarket shopping centres and the Kloof Country Club
Kloof Country Club
The Kloof Country Club is a private club located on one side of Kloof, a leafy suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, squash courts, a cricket oval, swimming pool and conference facilities.-History:...

, founded in 1927. It is known as a mist-belt with winding roads and tree-surrounded mansions.

Richmond Farm

This part of kwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

 was originally a 6000 acres (24.3 km²) farm 'Richmond', whose survey was ordained by the first Lieutenant-Governor of Colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....

 Sir Martin West
Martin West
Sir Martin West was born in England, the son of a civil servant in the Treasury.Martin West studied at Balliol College, Oxford, before joining the British East India Company...

, following his 1845 appointment to the post; he also named it, after Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...

 (Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, England).

The land Kloof occupies formed the 2,836 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 (7,008 ac) Richmond Farm No. 999: this was given to William Swan FIELD by the British Government in 1851 as reward for his services as First Collector of Customs (position he held until 1852) for Natal Colony, and as First Magistrate of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

. In 1852 he settled brother John Coote FIELD and his family on the farm, having had them brought up from the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...

.
The farm was eventually transferred into J C Field's name by Deed of Transfer in 1867, at a declared value of 1,401 pounds
South African pound
In 1825, an imperial order-in-council made sterling coinage legal tender in all the British colonies. At that time, the only British colony in Southern Africa was the Cape of Good Hope Colony. As time went on, the British pound sterling and its associated subsidiary coinage became the currency of...

 & 10 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...

s.

The original farmhouse, called Richmond House, was built by J C Field in 1854 to replace an earlier house. The 'Richmond' section of the farm passed to his son John Coote FIELD the Second in 1880 on the occasion of his marriage, who partially demolished the original Richmond House and rebuilt another homestead nearby.

J C Field the First died in 1896, and upon the death of his widow in 1901 the Farm was divided amongst the surviving heirs: 560 acres (226.6 ha) for each son, 395 acres (159.9 ha) for each daughter, and the homestead plus 500 acres (202.3 ha) to his youngest son Benjamin Cromwell Colenso FIELD.

Kloof village

The further subdivisions and sale of portions of Richmond Farm No. 999 by the Field heirs after 1901 resulted in the birth of Kloof as a residential area: numerous plots were sold to wealthy Durban residents and businessmen, who built country house retreats close to the city, but (due to its 550 m above sea level elevation) removed from the Durban humidity and heat. These were particularly favoured by their wives and children during the long hot summer holidays.

From the 1890s onwards the appearance of the area therefore changed significantly, from its previous 'sandstone sourveld' grassland to its current heavily-wooded flora.

Kloof was originally called 'Krantzkloof' by J C Field the First, after the nearby Kloof Gorge, but this name was later changed to 'Kloof' at the special request of the General Manager of the Railways, since due to a name similarity with Kranskop there had been significant confusion and misdeliveries of railway goods: the Railway Station was therefore renamed, and the town with it.
The current Station building is a replacement of an earlier one, built in 1896, and it remained operational until the closure of this branch of the Durban-Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...

 railway line to passenger traffic in the 1970s. The building is now being utilised as a popular bar restaurant; it is also the main terminus of the Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway - a railway preservation group, started in 1982, located just outside Durban in a small village called Inchanga. The history of the line they use dates back to the 1870s when the first railway line was built to run from Durban-Pietermaritzburg .-Excursion Trains:On the last...

.

As roads improved, an increasing number of people began permanently living in Kloof and during the 1960s and 1970s, the development of the traditional Kloof houses occurred. These consisted of large houses that were built on stands of at least one acre (0.4 ha). Many of the houses have slate roofs
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...

, a swimming pool, small guest houses and tennis courts and they are often tucked away amidst the trees.

Examples of these can be found in the prime areas of Kloof which are in the golf course and the Everton-Meadow Lane areas.

Property

The South African property market, though still arguably undervalued has seen high growth since 2003 and most prime Kloof properties sell for between R
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...

2,000,000 and R3,000,000 which is well above the regional average (which is under R800,000.) The larger homes, rarely on the market, are sold for between R6,000,000 and R30,000,000. These are, however, still at a discount by international standards.

Although it is regarded as a mature suburb, with most of the Upper Highway Area's recent condominium developments
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

 taking place in neighbouring Hillcrest
Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
Hillcrest is a settlement within eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms a part of the Upper Highway Area.-History:Hillcrest was formerly a sleepy village, governed by its own Town Board on the outskirts of Durban that has now become a booming suburb incorporated into the eThekwini...

, rich residents and newcomers are still building large houses where land is available, though these are built in Tuscan, Tudorbethan
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...

 and modern designs. Today one can find almost any style of architecture in Kloof.

Schools

Kloof has a state school network that consists of Kloof High School
Kloof High School
Kloof High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Kloof, near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:Kloof High School opened in February 1960 under the first headmaster, Mr Goodwin...

, Kloof Senior Primary School, Kloof Junior Primary School and Kloof Pre-Primary School.

There are also several private schools located in Kloof including the prestigious Thomas More College
Thomas More College (South Africa)
Thomas More College is an independent, co-educational day school located in Kloof, near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-Ethos:Thomas More College is a Christian-based school running classes from Grade 0 to Grade 12...

 and St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls
St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls, Kloof
St. Mary's Diocesan School for Girls is a private boarding and day school for girls situated in the suburb of Kloof, near Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:...

. In the broader area
Upper Highway Area
The Upper Highway area is a region west of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It includes the main suburbs of Kloof and Hillcrest, as well as the smaller areas of Assagay, Botha's Hill, Forest Hills, Gillitts, Waterfall and Winston Park....

 there is also Highbury Preparatory School
Highbury Preparatory School
Highbury Preparatory School is a private school for boys located in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:Highbury was founded in 1903 by Sibella Douglas McMillan. It was named after Highbury House School in England, which was established by Sibella McMillan's father, the Rev Charles...

 in Hillcrest
Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
Hillcrest is a settlement within eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms a part of the Upper Highway Area.-History:Hillcrest was formerly a sleepy village, governed by its own Town Board on the outskirts of Durban that has now become a booming suburb incorporated into the eThekwini...

 and Kearsney College
Kearsney College
Kearsney College is a private boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa.- History :...

 in Botha's Hill
Botha's Hill
Botha's Hill is a small town outside Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the gateway to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Kearsney College moved to Botha's Hill in 1939....

.

Wildlife

The many trees that define Kloof provide for an abundance of birds, including the Crowned eagle
Crowned Eagle
The Crowned Eagle or Crowned Hawk-eagle , is a very large, powerful, crested bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; in Southern Africa it is restricted to suitable habitat in the eastern areas. It is the only extant member of the genus Stephanoaetus...

.

Other wildlife has been preserved in greenbelt areas such as the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, which includes the Kloof Gorge, and the Everton Conservancy.
The Reserve is centred around the main Gorge cut by the Emolweni River, and extends in total 532 ha (1,315 ac). It was established by the Natal Parks Board (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial...

) in 1950.

The area around the gorge was once the habitat of leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

s and a leopard features prominently on the Kloof crest. (The stuffed leopard in the Durban Museum reportedly was shot in the area).

Chacma baboon
Chacma Baboon
The Chacma baboon , also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. With a body length of up to 115 cm and a weight from 15 to 31 kg, it is among the largest and heaviest baboon species. The Chacma is generally dark brown to gray in color,...

 were once found at the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. They were re-introduced at one stage but unfortunately, after becoming troublesome, were removed. Bushpig
Bushpig
The bushpig, Potamochoerus larvatus, is a member of the pig family and lives in forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and reedbeds in East and Southern Africa. Probably introduced populations are also present in Madagascar and the Comoros archipelago. Bushpigs are mainly nocturnal. There are...

 may also be found in the reserve. Both would likely have formed part of the diet of the leopard.

Climate

Average yearly rainfall is 1,075 mm (42.3 in), based on records which date back to 1935. The rainy season is from the October to March summer months, while winters tend to be very dry.

Summer temperatures range from 18 to 29 degrees Celsius, with winter temperatures between 12 and 20 °C.

Botanical gardens

Private botanical gardens which were established by a well-known horticulturalist are now the gardens of a hotel known as the Makaranga Lodge after tall trees planted in the gardens. Visitors are able to arrange guided tours.

The golf course

The Kloof Country Club
Kloof Country Club
The Kloof Country Club is a private club located on one side of Kloof, a leafy suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, squash courts, a cricket oval, swimming pool and conference facilities.-History:...

 includes a highly-rated 18-hole golf course, which was the only golf course outside of Durban for many years. The M13 highway runs parallel to it.

Activity centres

  • Kloof Country Club
    Kloof Country Club
    The Kloof Country Club is a private club located on one side of Kloof, a leafy suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, squash courts, a cricket oval, swimming pool and conference facilities.-History:...

     (golf course, tennis and squash courts, cricket oval, and facilities)
  • Krantzkloof Nature Reserve and Kloof Gorge
  • Kloof Methodist Church
  • Kloof Tennis Club
  • Rotary Club of Kloof
  • St. Agnes Anglican Church

The church building, dating from the 1950s, was built on a piece of land on the farm section 'Glenholm', owned by T S P FIELD and donated by him to the Anglican Church.
  • Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Parish
  • Virgin Active
    Virgin Active
    Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....

     gym (formerly Health & Racquet Club)

Famous residents: past and present

  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland and have won multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards...

  • Peter Brown
    Peter Brown (South African politician)
    Peter McKenzie Brown was a founding member of the Liberal Party of South Africa and succeeded Alan Paton as its national chairman in 1958....

    , politician
  • Sir William Firth
    William Firth
    The Hon. William Firth was a Canadian lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.Son of merchant William Firth and his wife Elizabeth, Firth studied law and became a barrister. He married Anne Watts, and they had five children. Firth wrote four political pamphlets between 1794 and 1825,...

  • Sir Guy Hulett, sugar baron
  • Marguerite Poland
    Marguerite Poland
    Marguerite Poland is a South African novelist.When she was two years old, the Poland family relocated to the Eastern Cape where she spent most of her formative years...

    , author
  • Bobby Skinstad
    Bobby Skinstad
    Robert Brian Skinstad is a Zimbabwean-born South African rugby union player who has represented the national team, the Springboks, 42 times, scoring 55 points . He played in the positions of flanker and number eight...

    , Springbok
    South Africa national rugby union team
    The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

     rugby player
  • BJ Botha
    BJ Botha
    Brendon James Botha, better known as BJ Botha is a South African rugby union player. He is a prop for the Irish Province, Munster. He signed for Ulster on Thursday 14 August 2008 on a three year deal, and left the province in May 2011...

    , Springbok rugby player
  • Alan Paton
    Alan Paton
    Alan Stewart Paton was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist.-Family:Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province , the son of a minor civil servant. After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal in his hometown, followed...

    , writer and leader of the Liberal Party of South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s
  • Simon Lessing
    Simon Lessing
    Simon Christopher Lessing, MBE, is a British triathlete who won five Olympic-distance world titles . He also won races at 70.3, ITU long distance and Ironman-distance events. He set an Olympic-distance world record in 1996, and is noted for his 2004 Ironman Lake Placid win, where he set a course...

    , world triathlon champion
  • Wally Hammond
    Wally Hammond
    Walter Reginald "Wally" Hammond was an English Test cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England...

    England and Gloucester cricketer died in Kloof 1 July 1965

External links


Sources

  • The Highway Mail, 1 June 2011.
  • The Hilltop, 2 June 2011.
  • Independent Electoral Commission (South Africa), 9 June 2011.
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