Behind the castle: The early estates, houses, streets & residents of District Six & surrounds, Cape Town - Jim Hislop

Many think of District Six (demolished by the South African apartheid government between 1966 and 1982) as a bustling, densely built and populated Cape Town neighbourhood, but it wasn’t always so.

Originally loosely referred to as “behind the Castle”, this area consisted of a few scattered estates (including Zonnebloem, Bloemhof, Werkerslust and Hope Lodge) with large homesteads, accessed by farm roads that were later formalised into District Six thoroughfares, such as Hanover Street.

Behind the Castle looks at the early history of District Six – a topic that has never been extensively covered in a book – until now.

Lavishly illustrated with old artworks, photographs and maps, the book brings back to life some of the city’s forgotten corners and characters (from slaves, artisans and washerwomen to European merchants and wealthy land owners), and is a treasure trove for lovers of old buildings.

It is dedicated to the 60 000 people forced to leave their homes in District Six.