--- title: "Let peace creep into your soul — day drives in and around Richmond" description: "Discover Richmond, the ‘Book Town’ and explore a place where art, literature and Northern Cape Karoo history intertwine." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "BOOK EXCERPT" author: "Chris Marais" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/chris-marais/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-24-richmond-let-peace-creep-into-your-soul/" published: "2025-07-24T07:00:19" updated: "2025-07-17T09:51:42" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 759 --- # Let peace creep into your soul — day drives in and around Richmond > Discover Richmond, the ‘Book Town’ and explore a place where art, literature and Northern Cape Karoo history intertwine. By Chris Marais · Published 24 July 2025, 09:00 SAST · Updated 17 July 2025, 11:51 SAST ## Key points - Once a mere pit stop for weary travellers, Richmond has transformed into a literary oasis where horse museums and saddle-themed bars coexist with the creative pulse of the Karoo, inviting you to linger longer and soak in its quirky charm. - Richmond, Northern Cape, transforms from a quiet stopover to a vibrant Booktown, attracting urban semigrants and creative ventures. - Visitors can explore unique attractions like the Richmond Horse Museum and the eclectic Richmond Books, Art and Photography. - A trip to Hanover offers historical insights at the Hanover Museum and the remarkable Dutch Reformed Church, showcasing local heritage. - Deelfontein's remnants reveal its past as a significant military hospital, inviting a deeper exploration of the region's rich history. ## Content Richmond in the Northern Cape was once a sleepy little farmers’ village where N1 travellers from Johannesburg or Cape Town stopped for refuelling and refreshments before resuming their journeys. ![The Karoo Padstal, one of the best eateries on the N1. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/a1JEhk1tJAU10kBIzU152f461Lo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-7_resize-1.jpg) *The Karoo Padstal, one of the best eateries on the N1. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* Today, [Richmond](https://www.richmondnc.co.za/richmond.html) is a town with a constantly evolving social landscape. Now branded as a Booktown, it has seen the arrival of “semigrants” from urban life, impressive investment in accommodation facilities and the establishment of a huge creative space in the form of the [Modern Art Project of South Africa](https://map-southafrica.org/about/a/) – MAP-SA. Your first day in [Richmond](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-17-richmond-between-johannesburg-and-cape-town-a-culture-town-worth-the-stop/) is all about a local meander. Most visitors begin on the main street (Loop Street) with the [Richmond Horse Museum](https://tracks4africa.co.za/listings/item/w300298/richmond-horse-museum/) (the only other one in existence is based in Kentucky, US), where curator Johan Tolken is only too pleased to provide an insightful tour of the wagons, saddles, histories and South African War artefacts. ![Johan Tolken, curator of the Richmond Horse Museum. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/79SGcltVJDPpeb_BMf5lll9LFkc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-3_resize-1.jpg) *Johan Tolken, curator of the Richmond Horse Museum. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* ![Display at the Richmond Horse Museum. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/EagTk8XGUW0XEuQvbzn6GMswfSs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-2_resize-1.jpg) *Display at the Richmond Horse Museum. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* Then we go right next door to Richmond Books, Art and Photography, a converted house and courtyard full of literary tomes covering a variety of local and international subjects, in fiction and non-fiction forms. [Karoo Creations](https://karoocreations.co.za/?srsltid=AfmBOoqnS7Y9qiQVtiQ7aXI-7RXNlSHpMEetu9mXOgxKX2a2rulEtO_n), also on Loop Street, is where you’ll pick up a selection of fine woollen duvets for cold winter nights. Lunch can be taken in the shady courtyard of [Die Vetmuis Restaurant](https://www.facebook.com/vetmuis/) on the main street. After a brief rest out of the hot Karoo sun, we visit the MAP Gallery down the road and wander around the huge displays of South African contemporary art. ![The MAP-SA Gallery in downtown Richmond. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/TE9BoutfaT_sX4K1Kc_CkOC_TN8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-4_resize-1.jpg) *The MAP-SA Gallery in downtown Richmond. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* ![Author presentation at the annual Richmond literary festival. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/F20YeT4XmmvTtnK6f3K4Uwaakk8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-5_resize-1.jpg) *Author presentation at the annual Richmond literary festival. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* ![Richmond has officially been recognised as a Booktown. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/x9zdFqde6G6LOHGIfRzwT3Unm-E=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-6_resize-1.jpg) *Richmond has officially been recognised as a Booktown. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* The next morning we’re off to Hanover, about 65km north of Richmond. We’re leaving well before dawn, so that we can ascend the little hill (Trappieskoppie), watch the sun rise over the vast Karoo landscape and, if it’s summertime and we’re lucky, see thousands of Lesser Kestrels flying off in all directions for a day of feeding. ![The vast Karoo from Trappieskoppie, Hanover. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/aYjq7tvZ_ckm78jE5dCOGODTzWY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-8_resize-1.jpg) *The vast Karoo from Trappieskoppie, Hanover. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* After a late breakfast at the [Hanover Lodge Hotel](https://sauergroup.co.za/), we’ll visit the Hanover Museum on Viljoen Street for a deep dive into the town’s history. And then it’s on to a tour of the magnificent Dutch Reformed Church across the road. Before the era of electricity the church chandeliers were powered by methane gas sourced from sheep dung. The day ends back in Richmond at the Saddles Bar, an atmospheric local drinking spot that keeps to the Karoo Equine theme of the region. And yes, the barstools are actually saddles. We leave Richmond as the first morning rays begin to tickle the steeple of the *Moederkerk* on the main road, and we drive west on dirt roads, following the signs to De Aar and Merriman. Today, we are going to look at what’s left of Deelfontein, once a railside settlement during the South African War that bustled with the cacophony of military matters: troop trains leaving, hospital trains arriving, mounted regiments passing through with news from afar, daily traffic in the massive tent city and the occasional outflow of celebration from the officers’ mess. ![British soldiers lie buried at Deelfontein Siding. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/oRpNYINPyhnd_dRNHW7el9PeW9I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-9_resize-1.jpg) *British soldiers lie buried at Deelfontein Siding. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* In its time, it was said to have been the largest military field hospital in the southern hemisphere. At the height of its one-year existence as the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital, Deelfontein had 800 patients and 200 staff. Nearby stands the portico of [The Yeomanry](https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/review/review-yeomen-karoo-story-imperial-yeomanry-hospital-deelfontein), a once-classic Karoo hotel that was inspired by the Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein, Western Cape. ![Remains of The Yeomanry, a once top-class country hotel. (Photograph: Chris Marais)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/CpeQJiXK1O_i31-nrEKVcuaPl1s=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/richmond-10_resize-1.jpg) *Remains of The Yeomanry, a once top-class country hotel. (Photograph: Chris Marais)* #### **Know before you go** Take your time meandering around Richmond and surrounds. The longer you stay, the more peace creeps into your soul. If you’d like to have a look inside the impressive church, ask for the verger (“koster”). In the restaurants the food is good and the portions generous. Visit all the bookshops and the antique shops, and remember that some establishments close over lunch. **DM** *For an insider’s view on life in the South African Heartland, get the Karoo Quartet set of books (Karoo Roads I-IV with black and white photographs) for only R960, including taxes and courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at*[*julie@karoospace.co.za*](mailto:julie@karoospace.co.za) ![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/KAROO-Books-Quartet-1-1.png) [Media on Daily Maverick: "How do you escape? We want to know"](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-24-richmond-let-peace-creep-into-your-soul/)