Who hasn’t mused over what it would be like to live in Paarl, just 62km from Cape Town? It’s one of those places you don’t really think about until you find yourself there on a mission of some kind. This book was that kind of mission, driven by a desire to record what survives of historic Paarl at a time when populations surge in number and historic contexts are threatened by new developments that threaten their character. Paarl is South Africa’s third oldest town and it needs to be treated as a heroic survivor not as a lacklustre shadow of times past. Take Exit 55 from the national highway, the N1, and head into town on what’s thought to be South Africa’s longest main street. There’s much to be seen and travellers over the years haven’t been shy about recording their views.

Writer: Paul Duncan
Photographer: Greg Cox
Designer: Joag van Rooyen