Pilgrim's Rest is a charming gold mining village meticulously restored to its former condition. One of the most perfect examples of a mining town born during the excitement of an alluvial gold-rush.
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Pilgrims Rest travel info The romantic gold-rush town of Pilgrim's Rest lies close to the town of Graskop. The entire village is a historical monument and has been preserved in the architectural style of the years from 1880 to 1915. The many interesting places to see include Alanglade House, set in a large informal garden and exquisitely furnished in Edwardian Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, the Anglican Church built by diggers in 1884, the cemetery with its "Robber's Grave", the Drezden Shop Museum and the Diggings Museum which offers guided tours of gold-panning activities.
Beyond Pilgrim's Rest lies the famous Robber's Pass with its spectacular views, which was the site of two gold-rush robberies. In the first incident two masked highwaymen robbed a stagecoach of bullion worth 10 000 pounds sterling that was never seen again. In 1912 Tommy Dennison from Pilgrim's Rest imitated the earlier crime, netting 129 pounds, but went straight back to town and embarked on a spending spree. After five years in prison he returned to Pilgrim's Rest to open a business which he called The Highwayman's Garage.
Pilgrim's Rest, still a prosperous village of several hundreds residents, has a special place in the traveller's itinerary: in 1974 the Transvaal provincial authorities bought the entire place, lock, stock and barrel, and over the years since then it's been turned into a 'living museum' the buildings meticulously restored to the charming condition they were in during the period 1880 to 1915. Among them are the miner's cottages, the Masonic Church, the old Bank House, the fascinating Miner's House - perfect period-style recreation - and the premises of The Pilgrim's and Sabie News.
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