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Montagu was founded in 1851 on the farm of Uitvlucht which belonged to Pieter Swanepoel since 1841. The village was named after John Montagu, the Colonial Secretary of the Cape who came to “baptize” the town. Montagu lies between the Keise and Kingna Rivers which join on the western extremity of the town, which was once known as “Agter Cogmans Kloof”.The town was cut off from the main trek routes by the seemingly impenetrable Cogmans Kloof until Thomas Bain built a tunnel and road through the pass. When you approach Montagu from Ashton you pass through the tunnel on which there are the ruins of a fort built during the Anglo-Boer war to keep the pass closed to the Boer forces. Montagu is our nearest town about 30km away and has the usual array of shops, banks, restaurants etc. However Montagu is a truly lovely town full of historic buildings and has two museums. Joubert House which was built in 1853 is host to one of the towns' museums. The other is Montagu Museum, housed in a beautiful Neo-Gothic church built in 1907 with the main purpose of this museum to portray the cultural heritage of the town and its people. More information about the Montagu area and available activities in Montagu and surrounding areas can be found on the Montagu-Ashton tourist information website or call them on 0236142471 |
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