Today in Kimberley's History
March 8th
"Every day has a story about Kimberley's past."
On this day...
On 8 March 1886, one of Kimberley's oldest surviving hotels was established in Beaconsfield. For more than 140 years, the Phoenix Hotel has welcomed miners, travellers, businessmen and local residents, surviving the rise and decline of the Diamond Fields, the Siege of Kimberley, and the changing fortunes of the city. Today, it remains one of Kimberley's finest examples of living heritage, just 1.1 kilometres from the Solomon Edwardian Guest House.
1886 – The Phoenix Hotel is Established in Beaconsfield
The establishment of the Phoenix Hotel on 8 March 1886 marked another milestone in the transformation of Beaconsfield from rough mining camps into a thriving Victorian municipality. On 5 April 1886, the Phoenix opened its doors to the public, welcoming its first guests to what would become one of the best-known hotels on the Diamond Fields. Only three years earlier, the neighbouring mining settlements of Dutoitspan and Bultfontein had successfully petitioned the Governor of the Cape Colony to become an independent municipality.
On 16 August 1883, it officially became Beaconsfield, named after Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, the British Prime Minister who had died two years earlier. The municipality even adopted his coat of arms and famous motto: "Nothing is difficult to the Brave." Not everyone welcomed the new name. Many residents continued to affectionately call the district "The Pan", a nickname that endured for generations. Even as late as the 1960s, the Beaconsfield Rugby Club was still widely known as The Pan Rugby Club.
Following municipal status, the new council wasted little time in transforming the former mining camps into a permanent town. Streets were surveyed, water and sanitation systems were improved, and substantial public buildings began replacing the temporary structures of the diamond rush. Among the earliest landmarks were the Magistrate's Court, completed in 1884, and the Phoenix Hotel, established in March 1886.
Standing on the corner of Cape Town Road and Central Road, facing Beaconsfield's historic Market Square, the Phoenix Hotel quickly became the social heart of the young municipality. Its spacious public bar, broad first-floor balcony and comfortable accommodation made it a favourite meeting place for miners, businessmen, travellers and local residents.
Historic Cape Town Road, Beaconsfield, in the early 1900s. The Phoenix Hotel can be seen on the left, overlooking Market Square. More than 140 years later, the building still stands.
During the Siege of Kimberley (1899–1900), the hotel's underground cellars became a bomb shelter where local residents sought protection from Boer artillery shells. While many buildings associated with the early Diamond Fields have disappeared, the Phoenix survived both the siege and the decline of the surrounding mines.
A 1902 Kimberley and Beaconsfield Business Directory captured both the resilience of the building and the changing fortunes of the district: "The Phoenix Hotel has risen, Phoenix-like from the ashes of the departed glories of the old and prosperous mining centre." The directory went on to describe the hotel as one of the finest on the Diamond Fields, praising its welcoming public bar, spacious balcony and comfortable accommodation.
Historic photographs from the early twentieth century show the Phoenix Hotel with its distinctive wrap-around balcony and prominent rooftop sign, a familiar sight for generations of travellers entering Beaconsfield.
Although the surrounding streets have changed considerably, the building itself remains one of Kimberley's best-preserved commercial landmarks.
Today, remarkably little has changed. The original nineteenth-century public bar remains in use, and the hotel continues to occupy its historic site, making it one of Kimberley's oldest continuously operating hotels.
Visitors can still stand where generations of miners, soldiers and travellers once gathered, enjoying one of the city's most authentic surviving heritage landmarks.
Did You Know?
The Phoenix Hotel is only 1.1 kilometres from the Solomon Edwardian Guest House. A short walk or two-minute drive down Central Road brings visitors to one of Kimberley's oldest surviving hotels, where the original Victorian public bar is still in use more than 140 years after the hotel was established.
The Phoenix Hotel in the early twentieth century. The prominent rooftop sign, wrap-around balcony and original verandah made it one of Beaconsfield's best-known landmarks.
The Phoenix Hotel today. Established in March 1886, it remains one of Kimberley's oldest surviving hotels and is located just 1.1 km from the Solomon Edwardian Guest House. Note the sign to the Bultfontein Mine.
Can't find a Kimberley connection for a particular date? Our Today in Kimberley's History collection is continually expanding as we research Kimberley's rich history. If you know of a notable local event that occurred on a specific date, we'd love to hear from you using the Contact Us page.
Kimberley's Story Continues
The survival of the Phoenix Hotel is a reminder that Kimberley's history is not confined to museums. Across the city, historic buildings continue to serve the community much as they did more than a century ago, preserving the stories of the people who built the Diamond City. Join us tomorrow as we uncover another fascinating chapter in Kimberley's remarkable past.
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