The Berea is a ridge above the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on the northern side which overlooks the city centre and the Indian Ocean. Berea is also used as a collective designation for the suburbs in the area. It has been described as the area between the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the Burman Bush Nature Reserve.
The Berea was named by the missionary, Capt. Allen Gardiner in 1835. It later expanded to become one of Durban’s most popular residential areas and assigned distinctive names for its various suburbs, e.g. Stamford Hill, Toll Gate, Stellawood, Morningside, Glenwood and Montpelier.
In the early days, residents of Durban, to avoid the heat and dust of the town centre, moved out to the suburbs. The Berea was popular as living conditions were more pleasant on the ridge, with spectacular views of Durban.
The gentry of Durban built their homes on the Berea in scenic surroundings with orchards, paddocks and fields. Ridge Road and Musgrave Road were among the first to be established.
Today busy shopping centres, hospitals and schools, blocks of flats, and homes on smaller stands, have to a large extent changed the character of the once rural suburb. Some of the gracious mansions from this bygone era remain, and a number have been converted to business premises.
