The quaint stone miner's cottages are over 100 years old & have been turned into shops & restaurants
Walking down one of Cullinan's interesting side streets
Sign outside a local shop - "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit" - Nelson HendersonOn Sunday we took a trip to the quaint South African village of Cullinan, which lies 45 km east of the city of Pretoria, in the northern part of the Gauteng province. I have always wanted to visit Cullinan, which is where the world’s largest diamond was found in 1905.
The village is named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who discovered a rich diamond pipe in the area (what was once the “Elandsfontein Farm” which translates as “Eland’s Fountain”) in 1902. He went on to open the “Premier Diamond Mine” here, which is where the huge Cullinan diamond was discovered – it was 3,106 carats (uncut size) and 2 of the stones cut from it can now be found in the British Crown Jewels.
Cullinan is described as a “quaint Victorian village” and it is easy to see why …. many of the old stone miner’s cottages remain (they are over 100 years old) and have been turned into shops and restaurants. Walking through the streets of Cullinan, is like stepping back in time.
We spent the morning exploring the delightful village and browsing in the shops there. I bought some keepsakes including a hand blown glass vase, a glass perfume bottle (complete with glass stopper) and a tin coffee container – just a few reminders of a special day and a bygone era for me to carry back with me, all the way to my home in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
We had lunch at the excellent “Sir Thomas Cullinan Restaurant” where I had a delicious pasta dish with a sauce of salmon, fennel, ricotta and lemon – finished off with a decadent slice of cherry pie !
It was a memorable day, and one which I won’t forget in a hurry – I’m really glad that I finally made it to the village of Cullinan, and was able to experience a little piece of history first hand.
The village is named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who discovered a rich diamond pipe in the area (what was once the “Elandsfontein Farm” which translates as “Eland’s Fountain”) in 1902. He went on to open the “Premier Diamond Mine” here, which is where the huge Cullinan diamond was discovered – it was 3,106 carats (uncut size) and 2 of the stones cut from it can now be found in the British Crown Jewels.
Cullinan is described as a “quaint Victorian village” and it is easy to see why …. many of the old stone miner’s cottages remain (they are over 100 years old) and have been turned into shops and restaurants. Walking through the streets of Cullinan, is like stepping back in time.
We spent the morning exploring the delightful village and browsing in the shops there. I bought some keepsakes including a hand blown glass vase, a glass perfume bottle (complete with glass stopper) and a tin coffee container – just a few reminders of a special day and a bygone era for me to carry back with me, all the way to my home in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
We had lunch at the excellent “Sir Thomas Cullinan Restaurant” where I had a delicious pasta dish with a sauce of salmon, fennel, ricotta and lemon – finished off with a decadent slice of cherry pie !
It was a memorable day, and one which I won’t forget in a hurry – I’m really glad that I finally made it to the village of Cullinan, and was able to experience a little piece of history first hand.
