Victoria Tower, Uitenhage

Uitenhage developed from 1804 to 1910 from a settlement with a typical Dutch Layout popular in the Cape Colony at the time of the founding of Uitenhage - of broad streets, water culverts and widely spaced thatched houses situated on the street edge, with all the official buildings located in a narrow stretch in one street, to a semi-industrialised town, densely developed in places, the streets lined with trees, dominated architecturally by British trends, with the public buildings and shops more evenly spread out and the skyline punctuated by the Victoria Tower and a number of church spire. The Victoria Tower in Caledon Street in Uitenhage was built as Public Building between 1896 and 1898. It was named after Queen Victoria who was the ruling monarch at that stage and used to house the law courts.