Walmer, Port Elizabeth

Walmer is a large neighborhood of Port Elizabeth, the largest city in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Walmer
neighborhood
A view of Walmer and the Port Elizabeth International Airport and the Indian Ocean in the far distance
Walmer
Walmer's location in Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 33°58′33″S 25°35′9″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceEastern Cape
MunicipalityNelson Mandela Bay
Main PlacePort Elizabeth
Area
 • Total7.42 km2 (2.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total6,792
 • Density915/km2 (2,369.8/sq mi)
Race
 • White81.4%
 • Asian1.9%
 • Cape Coloured2.5%
 • Black12.6%
 • Other1.7%
Language
 • English72.9%
 • Afrikaans17.8%
 • Xhosa4.9%
 • Other1.8%
 • Southern Sotho0.7%

History

Walmer’s origins are as a farm that was later sub-divided - the portion known as ‘Muller town’ renamed to Walmer after the Duke of Wellington, who died at Walmer Castle, which goes some way to explain its links with older, more established residents of Port Elizabeth, some of whom could have been here since the 1850s.[2]

It was an independent municipality from 1899 to 1965, when it was absorbed by Port Elizabeth.

Geography

Bordering neighbourhoods of Walmer include Mill Park in the north, Glenhurd and Mangold Park in the north-west, Essexvale in the north-east, South End in the east, Greenshields Park in the south-west and Gqebera in the south.[3]

The Baakens River forms the northern border of Walmer. Walmer is around 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the city hall and is also the location of the Port Elizabeth International Airport.[4][5]

Commerce and industry

Walmer is one of the shopping districts of Port Elizabeth with the Walmer Park Shopping Centre located between 14th and 16th Avenue and Main Road and the Walmer Link Shopping Centre on Buffelsfontein Road.[6][7]

Notable stores and restaurants in Walmer include Spar, Food Lover's Market, Outdoor Warehouse, Superspar, Builders Express, The Hussar Grill, Checkers, Midas, Debonairs Pizza and KFC.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Kariega Game Reserve near Kenton-on-Sea and about 129 kilometres from Port Elizabeth has its head office in Walmer.[15]

Education
  • Claredon Park Primary School[16]
  • Hoërskool D.F Malherbe[17]
  • Settlers Park Primary School[18]
  • Theodor Herzl School[19]
  • Walmer High School[20]
  • Walmer Pre-Primary School [21]
  • Walmer Primary School[22]
  • Walmer West Primary School[23]

Transport

Air
Port Elizabeth International Airport

Walmer is home to the Port Elizabeth International Airport which is the primary airport serving the city of Port Elizabeth and its surroundings (also known as Nelson Mandela Bay). The airport has earned itself the title of the "ten-minute airport" as it is less than ten minutes' drive from most major areas in the city.[24]

Although being an international airport it currently has no scheduled international routes and only services domestic routes to Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Majority of passengers travelling internationally from Port Elizabeth need to transit at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport as it the airport with the most international connections South Africa.

Rail

The Port Elizabeth Railway Station located near the harbour is about 6 kilometres north-east of Walmer. The railway station has commuter rail services by Metrorail Eastern Cape, long-distance rail services by Shosholoza Meyl and freight rail services by Transnet.[25][26]

Roads

Roads in Walmer include the M12 (17th Avenue/William Moffet Expressway), M7 (Main Road/Outspan Road/River Road) and M9 (Buffelsfontein Road/Heugh Road).[27]

Recreation

There is a golf course in Walmer named the Little Walmer Golf Course, south of the Baakens River. Port Elizabeth Golf Club is a nearby golf course just 4 kilometres north of Walmer by road.[2][28][29]

The Settlers Park Nature Reserve is situated to the north-east of Walmer situated on the banks of the Baakens River.[30]

References
  1. "Subplek Walmer". Sensus 2011.
  2. "Walmer". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  3. "Walmer Map | South Africa Google Satellite Maps". www.maplandia.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  4. "Port Elizabeth International Airport". www.holidayapartments.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  5. "Baakens River Mountain Bike Trail in Walmer, Eastern Cape". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  6. "Walmer Park | Shopping Centre | Port Elizabeth". www.walmerparkshoppingcentre.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  7. "walmer link shopping complex - Google Search". www.google.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  8. "Spar Fig Tree". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  9. "Fig Tree". Food Lovers Market. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  10. "KFC Port Elizabeth - 17th Avenue | Contact Number & Specials". www.tiendeo.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  11. "Debonairs Pizza Walmer Times Square | Pizza Delivery". location.debonairspizza.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  12. "Outdoor Warehouse - Port Elizabeth. Projects, photos, reviews and more | Snupit". www.snupit.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  13. "Builders Express - Port Elizabeth. Projects, photos, reviews and more | Snupit". www.snupit.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  14. "The Hussar Grill". www.hussargrill.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  15. "Kariega Private Game Reserve". www.kariega.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  16. "Clarendon Park Primary School". clarendonpark.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  17. "Hoërskool DF Malherbe High School | Hoërskool DF Malherbe High School". Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  18. "Settlers Park Primary School | Port Elizabeth | Ordinary Schools". Schoolguide. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  19. Herzl, Theodor. "Website". www.theodorherzl.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  20. "Walmer High School". Walmer High School. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  21. "Walmer Pre-Primary School". www.walmerpre.co.za. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  22. "Walmer Primary School in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape". pathfinda.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  23. "Walmer West Primary School". Skools. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  24. "ACSA Port Elizabeth International Airport". Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  25. "HERE. Maps for Life". mobile.here.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  26. "Contact Us". www.transnetfreightrail-tfr.net. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  27. "Walmer Map | South Africa Google Satellite Maps". www.maplandia.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  28. "PEGC | Port Elizabeth Golf Club". PEGC - The Hill. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  29. "Distance Calculator | Distance From | Find distance between cities". www.distancesfrom.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  30. "Settlers Park Nature Reserve - Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth)". Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism. Retrieved 2020-07-11.

Sources
  • Raper, Peter Edmund (2004). New Dictionary of South African Place Names. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 1-86842-190-2
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