kloofproject

THE HEART OF KLOOF

THE HEART OF KLOOF

As some of you will know, Kloof & the Field name are synonymous.  Field’s Hill was named after John Coote Field who arrived in Natal from the Cape by sea aboard the Pilot with his wife Elisabeth Catharina Field (born Swart) and their baby daughter Susara in March 1845.  John’s brother William Swan Field had been promoted to the post of Collector of Customs in Durban and in June 1845 purchased a farm named Tafelberg which was mainly on the plateau above Pine Town.  In the early days the road up, what was to become known as Field’s Hill, was known variously as Murray’s Hill (Murray was an early settler in Pine Town) and Pine Town Hill by 1870.

 

Krantz Kloof was named by transport riders after the very deep gorge which was a short distance to the north of the road. After the railway station was built and as the village began to grow, confusion arose with rail consignments to the similarly named Krantz Kloof and Krantzkop going awry. It was agreed by the railways and local residents that the station name be changed to Kloof.  The change of name happened on 3 July 1922.  On 4 February 1924 the Post Office moved out of the station into its own premises across the road and the new village name was now official.

 

Initially many of the properties were owned by residents of Durban and served as country retreats for weekend breaks and holidays but as transport improved and more businesses were established, many of the properties became people’s permanent residences.  By the 1960s there were a number of shops serving the local residents.

 

Information courtesy of Adrian Rowe