Bedford or Nyarha is a rural town in the centre of the Eastern Cape province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It was established in the mid-19th century when Sir Andries Stockenstroom sold portions of land from his farm Maastroom to raise funds for the restoration of his library, which had been burnt by British soldiers mistrustful of his attempts to broker peace in one of the Cape Frontier Wars. The farm is still there and open for visitors. It is located on the southern edge of the Winterberg mountain range, in the ''Smaldeel'' (a narrow strip of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

running laterally from

Fort Beaufort Fort Beaufort ( Xhosa: iBhofolo) is a town in the Amatole District of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, and had a population of 25,668 in 2011. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the conflu ...

Somerset East Somerset East ( af, Somerset-Oos) is a town in the Blue Crane Route Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was founded by Lord Charles Somerset in 1825. The Blue Crane Route follows the national road R63 from Pearston, via S ...

, renowned for its sweet grass). The town suffered a major decline in fortunes in the latter half of the 20th century before reviving itself around the turn of the millennium. It is regarded today as an artist's haven and retirement village. The lack of industry in the town, while a boon to those hoping to escape the rat race, means that the town has a large unemployment rate. The woes of the poor are exacerbated by a high

HIV-AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

infection rate. The Bedford Provincial Hospital is situated in Maitland Street, three blocks northwest of the town's centre. Most tourists visit Bedford to experience true South African farm living.

References

External links

http://www.bedford.co.za/
- The Bedford Homepage. {{Authority control Populated places in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality Populated places established in 1854 Tourist attractions in the Eastern Cape 1854 establishments in the British Empire