Get to know East London better (2)

You may remember that in a previous post we mentioned the Double-Decker Bridge in East London. We came across photos of the unusual bridge in the museum (read about it here) and decided to go see for ourselves what this bridge looks like today.

Photo of the bridge in the East London Museum (1935)

Double Decker Bridge (Bruce-Bayes Bridge):

The Double Decker Bridge was officially opened in February 1935 and replaced the old Buffalo Bridge that was completed in 1908 – this bridge was constructed out of timber. Apparently, you can still see fragments of the old bridge on the West Bank of the Buffalo Bridge.

The same Double Decker Bridge – 88 years later

The official name of the bridge is Bruce-Bayes Bridge and to this day, is the only bridge of its kind in South Africa. When the bridge was built, the top half was for cars and the bottom half for trains. In 2013 a new walkway was also included.

Double Decker Bridge

The port of East London is South Africa’s only remaining river port and is situated at the mouth of the Buffalo River. The Mercedes Benz assembly plant is situated here on the bank of the Buffalo River and manufactures cars for most countries. Big ships come and go daily to load brand new Mercedes Benz vehicles here.

View towards the entrance of the port

We wanted to take a closer look at this bridge and followed a road that passed under the bridge.

Bottom section of the Double Decker Bridge for trains (and two eager security guards)

While we were there, we saw quite a few cars passing us towards the end of the road. We also drove there, with the idea of ​​taking more photos and to our surprise found a restaurant. Now that’s what you call good luck!

Steve Biko Bridge (former John Vorster Bridge):

But first we saw another (bigger) bridge. This bridge connects East London with the West Bank and airport and also crosses the Buffalo River. It was always known as the John Vorster Bridge (named after a former Prime Minister of South Africa), but in 1997 it was renamed the Steve Biko Bridge (Biko was one of South Africa’s leaders in the fight against “apartheid”).

Steve Biko Bridge

Steve Biko Bridge

Anchor at the bridge on the bank of the Buffalo River

View up the Buffalo River

Both bridges in one shot

Sea Spirit Fish Market/Restaurant:

This restaurant has to be one of East London’s best kept secrets! It’s nothing fancy – basically a boat shed converted into a market/restaurant, selling fresh fish off the fishing boats. You can either take the fresh fish home or you can enjoy your order of fish and chips while gazing out over the lovely Buffalo River.

Sea Spirit – a gem of a place

Berto ordered a fish and calamari combo while I enjoyed a calamari burger. The generous portions were probably some of the best seafood we’ve had in a very long time!

Fisherman style lunch

Road Bridge at Latimer’s Landing:

When we left the fish market we drove under (yet another) bridge marked with the date 1946. After we got home we read more about this area and realised it was very close to where the first coelacanth fish was brought ashore when it was caught in 1938 – this after people thought the fish was extinct. Perhaps you remember this remarkable story which we mentioned in our post when we visited the East London Museum (you can read about it here). The Road Bridge at Latimer’s Landing is named after Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer (the curator of the museum at the time the coelacanth was caught).

Road Bridge at Latimer’s Landing

When we left our house this morning, we were looking for the Double Decker Bridge. But in the end, we found so much more! It was definitely a successful trip to learn more about the history of East London.

A last look at the Double Decker Bridge