Heroes' Acre, Pretoria


The Heroes' Acre is a section of Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa. It was established in 1867, and contains the graves of renowned citizens and public figures. It is the burial place of a number of historical figures including Andries Pretorius, Paul Kruger and Hendrik Verwoerd. Australian Boer War war criminal Harry "Breaker" Morant is also buried here.

History

The first burials took place in 1867. In 1973, Tom Andrews was the first surveyor of the cemetery. He documented all graves and later published it as a book called "Pioneer Sketches"

Location and description

The Church Street Cemetery is located on the corner of Church Street and DF Malan Drive in Pretoria.
The central part of this historic cemetery is known as The Heroes' Acre. The cemetery is a vast green field filled with tombstones of diverse shapes and styles which are organized in rows. As this is a Christian cemetery, the graves are oriented facing east. Trees and shrubbery give the cemetery a calm feel. The silver crosses in The Heroes' Acre are significant and distinctive of the cemetery.
The Heroes' Acre is listed as a heritage site.

Interments

South African Republic