History of Sir lowry’s pass Village

Province: Western Cape
Coordinates: 34.1194° S, 18.9085° E
Area: 1.98 km²
Municipality; City of Cape Town

Sir Lowry’s Pass and the Flower Trade

Sir Lowry’s Pass village, a small town at the base of Sir Lowry’s Pass was named after Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, Governor of the Cape in 1828.

In 1846 there was a post office, run by a postmistress, Mrs. Walters, and six farms in the area in 1846.

the first steam train stopped there in 1890. The railway station later became the Post Office. The waiting room was also used for English Church Services in 1925, as there was no church building at the time. Wildflowers grew in profusion on the mountains and hills around the village and selling them was a major source of income for the villagers in the early 1900s

The building of Sir Lowry’s Pass

The mountain was forbidding and difficult to climb over, in order to reach the interior. Ox wagons along with oxen were smashed as they overbalanced or lost footing while attempting the climb.

By the mid-1800s it became imperative to improve the roads. There had been attempts to improve the Kloof crossing which were abandoned due to cost. It became obvious that a new road with a less steep gradient should be built. Plans were made and tenders were submitted. Sir Lowry won the tender and the new pass officially opened in July 1830. It remained unchanged until some reconstruction in 1958. Further upgrades were done in 1984.