Company's Garden
A vegetable plot dug in 1652 to feed passing ships, now a city park with a pear tree older than the country.
Updated 22 October 2026
The garden was the reason Cape Town exists. The Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station here in 1652 to grow vegetables for ships on the route to the East, and this plot was that garden - scurvy prevention as urban planning. It shrank as the town grew and became ornamental in the nineteenth century, and what survives is about six hectares of lawns, an oak-lined avenue, a rose garden, an aviary and a fish pond, with a saffron pear tree planted in the 1650s, the oldest cultivated pear tree in the country. Around the edges stand the institutions that grew up beside it: the South African Museum, the National Gallery, the Slave Lodge, parliament and St George's Cathedral. Squirrels introduced by Cecil Rhodes are everywhere and beg openly. A section has been replanted as a working vegetable garden again.
History
The Dutch East India Company made the garden to supply the settlement and passing ships, and the gardener Hendrik Boom prepared the first ground for sowing on 29 April 1652. By 1653 it fed the settlers through the year and by 1658 nearly every garden plant of Europe and India grew here; it served mainly for vegetables until about 1680, when Simon van der Stel laid it out afresh as an ornamental garden (Wikipedia, Company's Garden).
What to look for
- The 1652 origin - the vegetable plot that the city was founded to protect.
- The saffron pear - a tree planted in the 1650s, the oldest cultivated pear tree in the country.
- The oak avenue - Government Avenue running the length of the garden.
- The institutions - museums, gallery, cathedral and parliament around the edges.
When to go
All year. Two hours, more with a museum. Weekday lunchtimes bring office crowds.
Good to know
It is a busy city park with the usual urban issues - watch belongings, and there is persistent begging along the avenue. The squirrels are aggressive about food. Museums each charge separately. Parliament's precinct restricts some paths.
Nearby
The Slave Lodge and National Gallery are at the edges; Bo-Kaap is a short walk.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q590259, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for Company's Garden
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Modest clothing - Shoulders and knees covered - the single most common requirement. Find on Amazon
- A slim anti-theft daypack - Zips that close properly; keep it in front in crowds and on transit. Find on Amazon
- A scarf or shawl - To cover the head or shoulders on entry; women especially at mosques. Find on Amazon
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