During the 1840s travellers moving north from Pietermaritzburg crossed the Umgeni River just west of present day Howick at the Alleman's Drift. In 1849, the Wesleyan Missionary James Archbell bought three farms above the northern bank of the Umgeni River. Title deeds of the original plots simply named the area "The Village on the Umgeni Waterfall".
In 1850, the river crossing was moved to a dangerous although more convenient and easier ford of the river at the top of the Falls, less than 200 metres from where the river plunged over the cliff's edge. It was a treacherous spot, and many wagons and people were swept over the falls in attempting the crossing.
With the increase in traffic to the north, the Government decided to establish a village at the crossing, and purchased part of James Archbell's farm. In November 1850, a proclamation appeared in the Natal Government Gazette, offering 36 village allotments on the Umgeni Waterfall Drift for sale. This marked the beginning of the town. Howick arose as a small post at which a hostelry (whose owner also lost his son over the falls) and blacksmith service was provided for the pioneers.
In choosing a name for the new town, Government officials decided to honour their Secretary of State for the Colonies in London. He was Earl Grey, and had recently acquired the title of Lord Howick. The name derived from his ancestral home of Howick Hall in Northumberland, England. Two other towns were named "Howick" at the same time: one in New Zealand, and the other in Ontario, Canada.
The Howick Falls Hotel was built in1872 as a major stop off point for Pioneers, Explorers and weary travelers making their way from the coastal town of Durban to the goldfields of the Highveld and beyond. Howick Falls Hotel has a proud history and can count such famous historic icons Mark Twain, Cecil John Rhodes and Paul Kruger amongst its list of past guests. The Hotel is situated in the centre of Howick, in the middle of the Midlands Meander, a stone’s throw from the Howick Falls where the Umgeni river plunges 300ft into the Umgeni Valley.
In 1879 (subsequent to the overwhelming defeat of the British at Isandlwana) a laager wall was built behind the Howick Falls Hotel to protect Howick from imminent Zulu attack (part of the laager wall can still be seen today). The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zululand in South Africa, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of about 1,800 British, colonial and native troops and perhaps 400 civilians.The battle was a decisive victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand.
By the turn of the century, it had established itself as a small resort away from the humidity of the coast.

During the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902, the British established a concentration camp on the outskirts of Howick. Natal had several concentration camps namely at; Ladysmith, Eshowe, Howick, Colenso, Pinetown, Pietermaritzburg Jacobs, Wentworth and at Merebank.
The second concentration camp to open in Natal was at Howick during January 1901. (The first camp was at Pietemaritzburg) The 3300 inhabitants of this camp, who came from both the Free State and the Transvaal were all housed in tents.

The Howick camp was closed in October 1902. Approximately 155 deaths occurred in the
Howick camp.

This camp at Howick was known as one of the better camps during the war. Most amenities were available to the notoriously republican inhabitants of this camp, while many worked on farms in the area or relaxed next to the Umgeni River and the bigger boys were also allowed to work as laborers on farms in the vicinity, thus earning a little money with which they were able to buy certain medical necessities and additional food.

The cemetery used to hold 64 British graves and 84 Boer graves, but all the graves remains were placed under the memorial - a monument to honour the women and children who died during their incarceration in the camp which marks the location, and was erected by the War Graves Commission. The Military Cemetery is close to the site of an Anglo/Boer War military hospital and concentration camp.

In December 1996 Nelson Mandela was awarded the Freedom of Howick, where he was arrested years earlier.

Howick Museum
Local history about the inhabitants of the area from the hunter gatherers;
• early Zulu settlement;
• colonial farmers and the start of the Village on the uMngeni;
• a concentration camp during The South African War 1899 - 1902;
• industry, harnessing hydro electric power from the Falls to run a rubber processing factory;
• agriculture, and village life;
• western medicines and instruments from the local doctor's surgery and
• Indigenous medicinal knowledge as practiced by traditional healers;
• home life in Victorian times and a view into an informal settlement.
Falls View Road
Tel: 033 239 9240
Fax: 033 330 8051
Email: curator@netfocus.co.za