In 1877 the City Council of Cape Town purchased land from the Van Breda family who owned the farm Oranjezigt.  They divided the land into three parts to build Molteno Reservoir (1886) below Belvedere Road and two smaller reservoirs(1852) below Camp Street. 

 The land in between formed a natural park.

David Christiaan de Waal, who was the city councillor at the time and also a member of the Legislative Council of the Cape Colony, decided to develop the park.  He loved trees for their “serene dignity and with (their) branches always pointed heavenward, .. a symbol of prayer.”  At his instigation thousands of trees were planted in Cape Town and especially in the park.  As Mayor of Cape Town, 1889-1890, he developed the park further and it was opened to the public officially in 1895.

There have been many attempts to build bowling greens and tennis courts on the park land – which plans would have necessitated the removal of about 100 off the oldest trees - but most of these ideas have been fended off.

The bandstand, manufactured by Walter McFarlane and Company of Glasgow, was erected in 1904/5 for the Cape Town Exhibition and was used for public performances for some years.  Sadly it is not used like this very frequently any longer.

In the 1950’s De Waal Park became the venue for the annual Theatrical Garden Party, the forerunner of today’s Community Chest Carnival now based in Maynardville.

In 1968 the park was proclaimed a National Monument to be maintained in perpetuity as public gardens.

In the late 1980’s vandals broke the Victorian fountain.  The Council removed what was left and carefully restored it – but then were reluctant to place it back in the Park.  It was only after some bargaining – the fountain was the centrepiece of the council’s display at a Floriade – that the fountain was restored to us.

Some people have been walking in the park for over 30 years.  There must be many stories that they can tell. Please let us hear them!

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