Pilgrim's Rest is a charming gold mining village meticulously
restored to its former condition. One of the most perfect examples
of a mining town born during the excitement of an alluvial
gold-rush.
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Pilgrims Rest travel info
The romantic gold-rush town of Pilgrim's Rest lies close to the
town of Graskop. The entire village is a historical monument and
has been preserved in the architectural style of the years from
1880 to 1915. The many interesting places to see include Alanglade
House, set in a large informal garden and exquisitely furnished in
Edwardian Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, the Anglican Church
built by diggers in 1884, the cemetery with its "Robber's Grave",
the Drezden Shop Museum and the Diggings Museum which offers
guided tours of gold-panning activities.
Beyond Pilgrim's Rest lies the famous Robber's Pass with its
spectacular views, which was the site of two gold-rush robberies.
In the first incident two masked highwaymen robbed a stagecoach of
bullion worth 10 000 pounds sterling that was never seen again. In
1912 Tommy Dennison from Pilgrim's Rest imitated the earlier
crime, netting 129 pounds, but went straight back to town and
embarked on a spending spree. After five years in prison he
returned to Pilgrim's Rest to open a business which he called The
Highwayman's Garage.
Pilgrim's Rest, still a prosperous village of several hundreds
residents, has a special place in the traveller's itinerary: in
1974 the Transvaal provincial authorities bought the entire place,
lock, stock and barrel, and over the years since then it's been
turned into a 'living museum' the buildings meticulously restored
to the charming condition they were in during the period 1880 to
1915. Among them are the miner's cottages, the Masonic Church, the
old Bank House, the fascinating Miner's House - perfect
period-style recreation - and the premises of The Pilgrim's and
Sabie News.
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