Richmond is a small town in the Upper Karoo region of the Northern Cape. It lies just south-west of Hanover and directly west go Middleburg in the Eastern Cape Province. The Northern Cape/Eastern Cape provincial border runs a line north and south roughly halfway between these two downs.
Horses thrive in this semi-desert. The high altitude, low rainfall and frosty winter weather resemble the Gobi desert, where they first evolved. Also, the soils and water are remarkably high in trace minerals, especially calcium, which are excellent for bone formation.
The trekboers (early Afrikaans farmers) who had spent a nomadic life on horseback in the Karoo were already some of the most outstanding riders in the world.
- The Richmond Horse Museum (invaluable stores of equine memories and trivia as well as clothing and gun collections
- Enjoy a few rounds at the Golf Course
- Endless stargazing
- Picnics and sundowners at Kudu Rock
- Pack your paints and lose yourself in the stunning landscape
- Bring board games and enjoy some quality time
- Extensive hiking trails
- Krip theatre and pub
- Dutch Reformed Church
- Vegkop (flag hill) - English fort from the Anglo Boer War
- Delight in tasty meals from either the Blue Lantern Restaurant, Die Richmond SupperKlub or Ka-Ma Restaurant
Established in 1843 when the presbytery of Graaff-Reinet formed a new congregation for that area. A portion of the farm Driefontein was bought and erven were sold on 19 April 1845 during a communion gathering. The town was named after the Duke of Richmond from Kent, father-in-law of the Governor of the Cape at that time, Sir Peregrine Maitland.
The Richmond Horse Museum is housed in a classic Karoo building with large, shuttered windows and a front balcony. Before the horse museum was established in the 1950s, the building was used by a school and as a cabinet maker's workshops and residence.
