SiteRecordings

Latimer’s Landing (referring to both the area and jetty) is situated within the harbour area of East London. The first mention of any development in the area today known as Latimer’s Landing, is the construction of the passenger wharf at First Creek in 1894. It is highly likely to be the same wharf that is today called Latimer’s Landing. The name is derived from the event that turned this humble wharf into a place of importance. It was here that the curator of the local East London Museum, Marjorie Eileen Doris Courtenay-Latimer, identified a ‘fossil fish’ thought to be extinct for 70 million years among the catch of a local fisherman. This would later be described as the zoological find of the 20th century. The coelacanth was named Latimeria chalumnae, after Marjorie as well as the name of the place where the fish was caught.

The jetty is also claimed to be the only remaining wooden jetty in the country. It is situated adjacent (upriver) the Princess Victoria graving dock that was completed in 1946. Behind Latimer’s Landing jetty and next to the graving dock is the Princess Elizabeth dock monument erected at the same time as the dock – both were officially opened by Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) in 1947. The land bridge in the area between the jetty and the memorial is also a historical structure, dating to 1946. In addition to this, all the redroofed buildings are older than 60 years and accordingly are also protected under the National Heritage Resources Act, No 25 of 1999.