Rhodes Memorial

The Rhodes Memorial stands on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak in the Groote Schuur Estate, above the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa's Western Cape. Built in 1912 to honour Cecil John Rhodes, the mining magnate and Cape Colony prime minister, it is a granite monument modelled on a Greek temple, approached by a broad flight of 49 steps, one for each year of Rhodes's life, and flanked by bronze lions. At the top of the steps, a bust of Rhodes sits in a columned alcove, with a bronze statue titled Physical Energy, by G. F. Watts, standing in front. The site sweeps down to the University of Cape Town campus and out to the Cape Flats, with Table Bay and the Hottentots-Holland mountains in the distance, and the view of the city and the mountains is the main reason visitors go. The memorial is a monument with a contested history, linked to colonial rule and to the student protests of 2015, and visitors may wish to read about the context. The site is surrounded by Table Mountain National Park forest, with walking trails leading up towards Devil's Peak and the Newlands Forest, and wild animals such as wildebeest, zebra and fallow deer sometimes graze on the slopes. A restaurant beside the memorial serves lunch and tea with views, and picnic areas are scattered around. A visit takes about 45 minutes, longer with a meal or a walk. The best photo angles are from the steps looking out over the city in late afternoon light, and from the lions at the base. Weekdays are quiet, with weekends bringing families and picnickers. Visitors should keep valuables out of sight, as car break-ins are reported at some parking areas, and avoid walking the forest trails alone.