Darling History
The area where Darling is situated, Groenkloof, dates back to 1682 when Oloff Bergh, Dutch standard bearer and pioneer explorer undertook a journey to the north through the heavy sands of the West Coast, Cape Town District, South Africa.
Darling was named after Charles Henry Darling, a Brittish Lt Governor who came to the Cape in 1851 and founded the farm Langfontein in 1853.
Many of the historic farm names and homesteads still exist and the signal cannon that now has pride of place in front of the Darling Museum, was erected on Klipberg in 1734 to warn burghers of impending danger.
The Hildebrand Monument is the Memorial to the Field Cornet C.P. Hildebrand of the Boer forces under Maritz's command. Darling was the most southern village to which the Boers penetrated during the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902).
The farming community of Darling concentrates on the production of grain, grapes, potatoes, peas and also dairy farming.
It is in Darling, where due to a shipping error, the first Merino sheep grazed and bred in South Africa. Wool productions in South Africa thus had its origins here.
Die Hildebrand Monument