Prince Albert Road
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Prince Albert Road
| pushpin_map = South Africa Western Cape#South Africa
| coordinates = {{coord|32|59|04|S|21|41|13|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = South Africa
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = Western Cape
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Central Karoo
| subdivision_type3 = Municipality
| subdivision_name3 = Prince Albert
| subdivision_type4 = Main Place
| established_title = Established
| leader_title = Councillor
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| population_total = 103
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 =
| demographics1_title1 = Black African
| demographics1_info1 =
| demographics1_title2 = Coloured
| demographics1_info2 =
| demographics1_title3 = Indian/Asian
| demographics1_info3 =
| demographics1_title4 = White
| demographics1_info4 =
| demographics1_title5 = Other
| demographics1_info5 =
| demographics_type2 =
| demographics2_footnotes =
| demographics2_title1 =
| demographics2_info1 =
| demographics2_title2 =
| demographics2_info2 =
| demographics2_title3 =
| demographics2_info3 =
| demographics2_title4 =
| demographics2_info4 =
| demographics2_title5 =
| demographics2_info5 =
| timezone1 = SAST
| utc_offset1 = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code (street)
| postal_code =
| postal2_code_type = PO box
| postal2_code = 6931
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = 023
}}
Prince Albert Road is a village located in Laingsburg Local Municipality, Western Cape.
History
The village of Prince Albert Road owes its existence to the route chosen by Prime Minister John Molteno, in 1872, for the Cape Government Railways's western main line and its stations, from Cape Town to the diamond fields at Kimberley.Royal Colonial Society: Proceedings of the Royal Colonial Institute. Northumberland Avenue, London. 1898. p.26. "The Railway System of South Africa".C. Schoeman: The Historical Karoo: Traces of the Past in South Africa's Arid Interior. Penguin Random House South Africa. 2013. {{ISBN|1770225684}} p.39.
A railway station was built at this particular point due partly to its location roughly halfway between Beaufort West and Laingsburg, and a road was run to service the town of Prince Albert, at the foot of the Swartberg mountains, 40 km to the south. This road was therefore named Prince Albert Road (now the R407), and the railway station was likewise named "Prince Albert Road". Soon, a small hamlet developed around the station; from this, the modern village grew.Burman, Jose (1984). Early Railways at the Cape. Cape Town. Human & Rousseau, p.59. {{ISBN|0-7981-1760-5}}
In 1886 a coach-service connected Prince Albert Road to Oudtshoorn far to the south, and village's mud-walled kraals served as an occasional market and trading point for the farmers of the surrounding district.{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=306}}
Attractions
It is today known for its fossil trails in the surrounding Karoo.
The artist Jan Schoeman ("Outa Lappies") was possibly the town's most famous resident.
He was an artist, recycler, and philosopher, who was voted as the Western Cape Tourism Personality of the Year in 2000.{{cite web |url=http://www.lifeinbalance.co.za/page/travel/447809-Outa-Lappies-philosopher-and-master-recycler |title=Outa Lappies: Philosopher and master recycler |website=www.lifeinbalance.co.za |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517033931/http://www.lifeinbalance.co.za/page/travel/447809-Outa-Lappies-philosopher-and-master-recycler |archive-date=17 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.explorersclub.co.za/Things_to_do.html |title=The Explorers Club Prince Albert Things to do |accessdate=2012-11-09 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103215909/http://www.explorersclub.co.za/Things_to_do.html |archivedate=2012-11-03 }} He died on July 7, 2011.[http://www.oudtshoorncourant.com/news.aspx?id=30951 Update: Outa Lappies remembered], Oudtshoorn Courant, July 6, 2012
References
{{reflist}}
{{Central Karoo District Municipality}}
Category:Populated places in the Laingsburg Local Municipality