Adderley Street in Cape Town - Why the Mother City main street was given this name.

Adderley Street is the main street of Cape Town and carries thousands of pedestrians and vehicles daily. This is where we find the famous flower sellers, historic statues, museums and as much of Cape Town culture as you can handle! It is also the hotspot for Cape Town Christmas decorations and lights every year.

The street was first given the name Heerengracht, after the canal that used to run down it's centre. For quite a number of years it was mostly a residential street filled with trees, but by the mid 1800's it became very commercial in nature. Mayor Hercules Jarvis called it Adderley Street in honour of British Politician C.B Adderley who sided with the residents of Cape Town and fought successfully against the planned project from the British to turn Cape Town into a penal colony.