East London is one of the largest cities in the South African province of Eastern Cape. Its history started with settlers from the British Isles who came from the Cape Province to the Eastern Cape from 1820. John Bailie was one of these settlers and he explored the mouth of the Buffalo River and founded Port Rex in 1836.

The city developed around the river port, the only one of its kind in the South African colonies. The city and the harbor were used for e.g. military supplies for British garrisons, which throughout the 19th century were in border disputes with the Xhosa people. In 1847, the British established Fort Glamorgan as one of many forts in the area that became known as British Kaffraria. Fort Glamorgan was annexed by the Cape Colony, and in the same year Port Rex got its current name, which came from the English capital London.

Throughout the 19th century, the town grew around the fort and the harbor with more and more settlers arriving, who came in greater numbers from Germany. In the 1870s East London’s port was expanded and the railways came to the city, which strengthened East London’s role for transport and logistics, and the city’s economy grew significantly due not least to the export of wool. Throughout the 20th century, the city’s growth in population continued with the development of many new suburbs.

Today, East London is a city with a city center, where the sights are close to each other. You can therefore enjoy some strolls in the downtown, which is located with perpendicular streets in the area north of the Buffalo River. You can walk along the main Oxford Street, which stretches the entire length of downtown East London, and which is the city’s business street.

East London City Hall is one of the sights along Oxford Street. The Victorian Town Hall was built 1897-1899 during a time when the city was prosperous. Today, the building with the clock tower Victoria Tower stands as East London’s landmark. In front of the town hall, you can see an equestrian statue with the names of soldiers who fell during the area’s wars between 1779 and 1879, and you can also see a statue of Stephen Biko, who died in 1977 in police custody.

A little north of the city center, you can visit the East London Museum, which is a cultural and natural history museum telling the story of East London within various themes. You can also take a walk along Esplanade Street, which is a promenade along the Indian Ocean, from which you can enjoy a fantastic view of the sea. In the southern part of Promenade Street, you can see the entrance to the river port in East London, and both here and further north are some of the city’s lovely sandy beaches.