Verulam

History

Origin of the name

The name Verulam is derived from Verulamium, an ancient Roman settlement located approximately 30 kilometres north of London. Verulamium itself took its name from Verlemion, a Celtic Iron Age settlement whose name translates as "the settlement above the marsh." Following the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, it grew into one of the largest towns in Roman Britain before being attacked and destroyed by the Saxons around AD 600–700. The medieval town of St Albans was subsequently built upon its ruins.

Founding (1850)

The founder of Natal's Verulam was William Josiah Irons, a native of St Albans, who established the Christian Emigration and Colonisation Society with the aim of settling non-conformist — predominantly Wesleyan — emigrants in Natal. Irons initially secured the patronage of the Earl of Verulam, whose father had previously served as Member of Parliament for St Albans, and named the proposed settlement in his honour. In May 1849, Irons dispatched his brother Theophilus to Natal as advance agent to prepare for the settlers' arrival.

Irons subsequently partnered with emigration promoter Joseph Charles Byrne, whose Natal agent John Swales Moreland assisted in land allocation. Byrne & Co. acquired the 22,500-acre landholding of the defunct Natal Cotton Company, and it was on a portion of this that the new settlement was established.

On 23 January 1850, the first vessel carrying Irons's settlers, the King William, arrived at Port Natal (present-day Durban) with 275 passengers, of whom 48 were Wesleyans. After weeks of negotiations over land repossession, the site was formally inspected on 6 March 1850. The town site was chosen on the south bank of the uMdloti River — a location consistent with Irons's stated criteria for "an eligible situation, not far from the sea-port of D'Urban, contiguous to a high road and near a river."

On 13 March 1850, led by Thomas Champion, the first party of settlers arrived at the site by ox-wagon. At the place where the town was to be established, Champion raised a dark blue flag bearing the word "VERULAM" in gold letters — an event regarded as the formal founding of the town. Verulam was then the third formal settlement established in the Colony of Natal, after Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

Demography

Verulam is inhabited mainly by people of Indian descent. As of 2011, the population stood at more than 37,000. There are several primary and secondary schools catering for all races and all areas of the town. The town contains densely populated residential and industrial areas, which include a multitude of shopping centres as well as mosques, temples and churches. On the outskirts are large farming areas, several built-up townships, and rural townships. There has been slow but steady progress in modernising the town by providing adequate infrastructure to the rural areas.

Genealogical records

Physical records of Indian indentured labourers who arrived in Natal between 1860 and 1911 are held at the Verulam Library. These records, originally preserved by the Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, document the names, villages of origin, ages, ship voyages, and employer details of over 152,000 individuals who formed the foundation of the Indian community in the region, including many who settled in and around Verulam.

Descendants of indentured labourers can search these records online through SA Indian Routes (saindianroutes.co.za), a publicly accessible digital archive covering 384 ship voyages and 565 employers across the indenture period.

Geography

Verulam is located on the banks of the uMdloti River, predominantly situated south of the river. It is bordered by Waterloo and Cornubia to the south-east, Phoenix to the south, Mawothi to the south-west and Redcliffe to the west. Nearby communities in the surrounding area include Mount Edgecombe (10 km) to the south-east, eMdloti (10 km) to the east, uMhlanga (12 km) to the south-east and oThongathi (13km) to the north-east.

Suburbs

The 2011 census divided the urban area of Verulam into 23 “sub-places” including:

Barrs Flats (industrial)

Brindhaven (residential)

Canelands (industrial)

Cordoba Gardens (residential)

Dawncrest (residential)

Everest Heights (residential)

Grangetown (residential)

Litchie Farm (residential)

Lotus Farm (residential)

Lotusville (residential/industrial)

Mountview (residential)

Mzomuhle (residential)

Oaklands (residential)

Ottawa (residential)

Redcliffe (residential)

Riet River (residential)

Riverview Park (residential/industrial)

Riyadh (residential)

Saana Township (residential)

Southridge (residential)

Temple Valley (residential)

Umhloti Heights (residential/industrial)

Valdin Heights (residential)

Religious places of interest

One of the main attractions in Verulam is the Sri Gopalall Hindu Temple, which was opened in 1913 by Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated in the small suburb of Temple Valley in Verulam. It is one of the oldest temples in South Africa and still caters for prayer and wedding ceremonies. The Shree Siva Subramaniar Alayam has a significant following of devotees, with the annual Kavady procession being one of the highlights of the temple's calendar. It is situated along the Umdloti River.

Another temple is the Gayathri Peedam, situated in Brindhaven. This is the only temple in Africa that houses two full figure Gayathri Murthis. The ashram is very busy with sacred mantra chants and crystal healing crusades, weekly Navagrahas, full moon (Pournami) prayers and Friday satsangs. The peedam hosts a meditation garden; a Hanuman shrine, Shiva Mandir, Sani shrine and the only Mahavatar Kriya Babaj shrine in Africa. The ashram focuses on community and youth development programs.

Christ Embassy Verulam is a church in Temple Valley run by Dr. Pastor Shane Maharaj and is a local branch of the main Christ Embassy Church in Nigeria headed by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

Blessed Life Ministries is a full gospel community church that is situated at the Redcliffe Primary School.

Muslim writer and motivational speaker Ahmed Deedat is buried in Verulam.

Nature

The Hazelmere Dam, just a few kilometres from Verulam, features a variety of activities, such as watersports, fishing, nature walks, bird watching, a wide range of game, campsites & luxury accommodation.

Verulam is situated just 8.5 km from the small community of Mount Moreland, an important roosting site for the European barn swallow.

Schools and Care Centre

Verulam has numerous schools, which include Lotusville Primary, Verulam Primary, Dawncrest Primary, Verulam Secondary, Mountview Secondary, Temple Valley Secondary, Verulam Independent School, Trenance Park Secondary, Everest Heights Primary School and Glenhaven Secondary School. Verulam Secondary School has had numerous learners placed among the top 10 matriculants in the province and nationally and has achieved a pass rate of +-97% for six consecutive years . Temple Valley Secondary has achieved a 95%+ pass rate for the past five years.

Verulam is also home to the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre. The Frail Care Centre caters to destitute, frail and elderly citizens with 24-hour nursing care. There is also a hall that is hired out for various functions and meetings.

Industry

Verulam is one of the smaller industrial nodes in the Greater Durban metropolitan area, with most industries concentrated in the northern part of the town. Notable industries operating in Verulam include: Colgate-Palmolive (oral care), Grafton Everest (furniture), AfriSam (construction materials), Frimax (snacks), Packo (spices) and the Parachute Industries of Southern Africa (sport parachutes). Additionally, Shoprite, Africa’s largest supermarket chain, along with its subsidiary Freshmark, has its regional distribution centres for KwaZulu-Natal based in Verulam.

The Verulam Market, opened by the then Verulam Town Board in 1884, is a historic fresh produce market that draws daily customers from all over KwaZulu-Natal and provides income to many residents of the town.

Transport

Air

King Shaka International Airport is the only international airport in the Greater Durban metropolitan area and is located approximately 8 km northeast of Verulam via the R102 and M65. It offers flights to various domestic destinations in South Africa and international routes to Doha, Dubai, Harare, Lusaka, Manzini and Istanbul.

Rail

The main Metrorail commuter route, known as the North Coast Line, runs between Durban in the south (via Mount Edgecombe) and KwaDukuza in the north-east (via oThongathi), serving Verulam with three stations: Verulam Railway Station, which is the main station located in the Verulam CBD, Canelands to the north, and Ottawa to the south.

Road

Verulam is positioned just off the N2, the major freeway connecting Durban in the south with King Shaka International Airport and KwaDukuza to the north. The R102 is the primary north–south route through Verulam, linking oThongathi to Mount Edgecombe while skirting the CBD to the west. The M27 serves as the main east–west road, running south of the CBD as Jabu Ngcobo Drive and Old Inanda Road. This road connects eMdloti to Buffelsdraai and provides access to both the N2 and M4 highways.

Both the R102 and M4 offer untolled alternatives to the northbound tolled N2, with the M4 also serving as a southbound alternative route to uMhlanga and Durban.