The Rhodes Memorial on Devil's Peak

The Rhodes Memorial, finished in 1912 by architect Herbert Baker, stands on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak in Cape Town. It was built to honor Cecil John Rhodes, a mining magnate, founder of the monopolistic De Beers diamond company, influential politician and later prime minister. Constructed of Cape granite quarried on Table Mountain, the memorial is located at Rhodes's favourite spot on his former estate. The view facing north-east reflects his vision for a "red line" of British dominions spanning the continents from Cape Town to Cairo.

The memorial features a massive staircase with 49 steps, one for each year of Rhodes's life, leading from a semi-circular terrace up to a rectangular U-shaped monument formed of pillars. At the bottom of the steps stands a bronze statue of a horseman, Physical Energy by George Frederic Watts. Eight bronze lions by John Macallan Swan flank the steps, alongside a bust of Rhodes also by Swan. The monument is inscribed with the words, "To the spirit and life work of Cecil John Rhodes who loved and served South Africa."

Located within the Table Mountain National Park, the site is surrounded by groves of oaks and stone pines from Europe, as well as pockets of native Afromontane forest. Nearby, the memorial is situated close to the University of Cape Town and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. While the memorial is a site of historical significance, it remains a controversial monument in post-Apartheid South Africa due to the historical political impact Rhodes had in the formation of an unequal system.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons