19/09/2024
Here’s something you might not know about Grahamstown (now known as Makhanda).
Back in 1898, the town hosted a huge event, Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Industrial Arts Exhibition. It kicked off on 15 December 1898 and ran until 21 January 1899, and brought in an unbelievable 171,433 visitors, turning Grahamstown into a buzzing center of creativity and innovation.
Amazingly the main exhibition hall was made entirely of wood and iron and was set up right behind the City Hall and stretched all the way to Fiddler’s Green. They even added extra pavilions and buildings for the occasion. The whole thing was the brainchild of the town’s mayor, John Syms Willcox, who led the charge as its president.
It wasn’t just about showing off, it was a competition too, with exhibitors vying for gold, silver, and bronze medals engraved with the title “South African Industrial and Arts Exhibition Award: Grahamstown.”
One standout was Grocott and Sherry, a local printing company. If you are a local to this area, Grocotts is part of your local DNA! They snagged two excellence medals, thanks to their pedal-powered business card printing machine and the first-ever linotype machine in South Africa, which revolutionized printing. Fun fact: William Ellington Grocott was the first to operate it.
The event was also pretty international, with shipping lines offering free trips from Europe to help boost trade. It seems that prominent overseas attendees were experts and innovators from different industries, which seems to indicate the global interest in showcasing advancements in arts and technology. Of course, one of the highlights was the display of cutting-edge printing equipment, like the state-of-the-art pedal-powered business card printing machine of Grocott and Sherry. While one can’t seem to find record of notable attendees, this kind of exhibit would have drawn interest from industrial and technical sectors abroad, making the event a magnet for foreign specialists and enthusiasts in arts, design, and machinery innovation.
Exhibitors from the Natal Colony made quite the statement by showing off a massive 3-ton chunk of coal, while the Cape Colony flaunted its own artistic and industrial creations.
To top it all off, there was music! Renowned violinist and teacher Percy Ould, with conductor Theophil Wendt, put together regular concerts that brought even more life to the exhibition. One of the biggest days saw 6,000 people flocking to town by ox wagon, coaches, and train to witness the spectacle. And there was beer, this supplied by The Durban Breweries, known for its quality brew, which stood the test of time, as Durban Breweries eventually became part of South African Breweries. In 1920, it merged with several other regional breweries to form South African Breweries (SAB), which was established as a major player in the South African brewing industry. As you may know, SAB later expanded significantly and became one of the largest brewing companies globally before being acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2016. Humble, or maybe not so humble, beginnings!
This remarkable exhibition remains a key moment in Grahamstown’s history, positioning the town as a crossroads of culture and industry in the late 19th century. Held during Queen Victoria's Jubilee year, it underscored the broader historical context of the British Empire and its colonies, marking Grahamstown as an important player in the imperial celebrations and advancements of the era. Overall, the exhibition was a pivotal event that showcased Grahamstown’s significance in both the cultural and industrial spheres of the time.
Photos are from my copy of the Illustrated souvenir of the industrial and arts exhibition held at Grahamstown.
