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Pig and Whistle Hotel

Bathurst Eastern Cape - South Africa

Email Pig and Whistle Hotel Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com

Come and enjoy our peaceful and tranquil Village with us.

This Olde World Hotel was established in January 1832, and became known as “Hartley’s Inn”.
Several prominent settlers stayed at the Inn including Lord Charles Somerset.

In World War II, the Inn was frequented by the air force men who were stationed at 43 Air School, close to Port Alfred.
They nicknamed the pub “The Pig n Whistle” as traditionally this had been the name of the Inns that served the Air force in England.

Pig and Whistle Hotel Accommodation

Beautifully restored rooms with magnificent antiques, en-suite rooms, there are also traditional old fashioned rooms with communal bathrooms.
The first owner, Thomas Hartley, built his house in 1821, a three storey dwelling with two bedrooms on the top floor. These original rooms are rooms five and six in this old settler Hotel.

Breakfast and Dining
The Hotel offers an a la carte menu, meals available from 07h30 everyday of the week. Bookings are advisable for evening meals. Try our succulent steaks, melt in the mouth calamari or our very own special Pot Pies.
The Pub
There is so much history in this old Pub one can spend hours in silence or listen to all the stories from our Locals. The old stone walls breathe with history and memorabilia. Join the locals in this pub to watch your favourite sport or just enjoy a cold one.

Pig and Whistle Hotel Facilities

Sit on our famous “stoep” and enjoy our friendly service or visit our well stocked Antique shop in the Hotel. Relax and enjoy our peaceful garden along with the bunnies and lovely children’s playground.

Why Bathurst?
Bathurst is ideal for the family. It does not have the wind found at the coast yet is only 10 minutes from the beaches. Normally about 2 degrees cooler in the Summer and 2 degrees warmer in the Winter to the coast.

Hotel is comfortable walking distance to all Bathurst's National Monuments and Waters Meeting Nature Reserve. Tennis courts are across the road.

Things to do - include the tours plus beaches, nature reserves and game reserves, Grahamstown, Salem, Hikes, Valley of the Ancient Voices, Scuba diving, Deep Sea Fishing, Sky Diving, Dam and River Fishing, Bathurst Agricultural Museum.
Your ideal base for touring this historic region.
Historical sites (national monuments) in Bathurst are:
· The Pig 'n Whistle Hotel 1832
· Weslayan Church 1832
· St Johns Anglican Church 1834
· Bleak House 1825
· Bradshaw's Mill 1821
· Morley House 1835
· The Toposcope 1859
not to be missed in Bathurst:
· Bathurst Agricultural Museum (more than 1400 agricultural implements)
· Horseshoe Bend
· Waters Meeting Nature Reserve
· The Big Pineapple (the biggest pineapple in the world)

Nearby are the wonderful beaches of Port Alfred and Kenton on Sea. Kleinemonde, Historic Grahamstown and Salem. The game and nature reserves of Thomas Baines, Shamwari, Kariega, Fish River, Kap River, Kwandwe and Amakhala.
This National Monument is situated in the quaint little English style village of Bathurst in the heart of settler country in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Bathurst has a peaceful and rural atmosphere; it is a very beautiful country village with an abundance of wildlife and bird life.
On the gentle sloping green hills and along all the avenues are magnificent trees such as wild fig, coral, milkwoods, sweet thorn and natural bush.
The village is home to eight National Monuments, they are the Pig n Whistle Hotel, the Methodist Church, St Johns Anglican Church, Bleak House, the Primary School, Toposcope Monument, the powder magazine and Bradshaw’s Mill.

Activities in the area include hiking, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, sky diving, dam & river fishing and horse riding.

Pig n Whistle History
After settling in Clumber in 1820, Thomas Hartley moved into Bathurst, building a dwelling on Lot 8 next to his forge in 1825.
The Inn was built in 1825. The Inn was built next to the Forge, in which Thomas Hartley continued to run his blacksmith business. Bathurst was geographically situated as a stopping place for wagon travellers.
There was a smithy, a farrier, provisions and someone to extract a troublesome tooth. This was done by the blacksmith with his pliers!

The Inn, which was in operation by January, still stands substantially intact. The Proprietor had such regard for the quality of his guests that the rooms were described as “Subscription Rooms for Gentlemen” and guests included Lord Charles Somerset, the Governor of the Cape, and Sir Benjamin D’Urban.

From 1832 surgeon Ambrose Campbell, riding from Grahamstown, attended consultations on the first Saturday of the month.
After Thomas Hartley’s death in 1840 his widow, Sarah, took over the running of the Inn and made its hospitality famous. It was then known as Widow Hartley’s Inn and visiting dignitaries and Government officials sought accommodation at the Inn.
In 1847 the Governor General, Sir Henry Pottinger, stayed at the Inn and entertained the Chaplain, the Magistrate and the Post Commander. In 1848 the Governor General, Sir Harry Smith, stayed at the Inn.

Thomas Baines made an oil painting of the Inn and the Village during his visit in 1849 and this painting is now in the Rhodesian archives.
Sarah Hartley died later in the year after making the Inn famous in the colony during her period as proprietor. After a brief term under Thomas Hartley junior, Jeremiah Goldswain, another settler, bought the Inn in 1852.
The original building remains an integral part of the Inn. Part of the kitchen walls include a portion of Thomas Hartley’s original dwelling.

The Inn’s name was changed to the Pig ‘ Whistle during WW ll when the Air Force was based at 43 Air School in Port Alfred.
After 170 years it has claim to genuine age which cannot be made by scores of so called ‘Olde Time Inns’ worldwide.
We have a variety of accommodation options to suit the individual.
Experience the charm of staying in a National Monument, the oldest licensed premises in SA, with old fashioned charm, service and personal attention

Email Pig and Whistle Hotel Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com