Durban - This week’s pictures of old Durban feature the city’s famed Britannia Hotel and were posted by Susilia Carrick on the Facebook page Durban Down Memory lane.
The hotel was established in 1879 by liquor merchant EK Green and comprised 14 bedrooms on the first floor, of which only four had en suites. It was a “whites-only” hotel. The ground floor comprised a kitchen, a dining area, lounge and three segregated bars.
During the early ’70s, white patronage dropped significantly as several large modern hotels sprung up on the beachfront. Moreover, many of the Britannia facilities were outdated.
The furniture was antique and the beds had coir mattresses.
Since only four of the rooms had en suites, the other guests had to bath in communal bathrooms that were drab and outmoded.
In the late ’70s the hotel was sold to two Indian businessmen, which lead to the reclassification of its racial status, the bars and off-sales being well patronised by black and Indian commuters using the Umgeni railway station. Its restaurant also developed a reputation for superb curries and bunny chows.
Today the hotel has been extensively renovated, its rooms boasting every modern convenience, while its Capsicum Restaurant is popular with locals and tourists.
The restaurant has featured in shows such as Espresso and Ultimate Braai Master, which focussed on its exotic crab curry recipe.
The Independent on Saturday appeals to readers who have old pictures of Durban and other parts of the province to send them to us for consideration. If any readers are featured in the old picture, we will do our best to recreate the scene with them in it. Readers sending pictures digitally - images should be about 1MB - can address them, with the relevant information, to [email protected].
If the pictures are in hard copy format, they can be posted to The Editor, Old Pictures, The Independent on Saturday, PO Box 47549, Greyville, 4023.