Cockney Liz Hotel

Comfortable overnight accommodation is offered to suite individual needs, taste and budget. Clean en suite rooms TV, tea/coffee making facilities will ensure a comfortable stay for the guests. The hotel affords breathtaking views of the Makonjwa mountains.

“Cockney Liz Elizabeth Webster of Scarborough in England, fell in love with a Mr.Roy Spencer, son of a rich English banker who despised his son, as he considered him a no-good loafer. Nonetheless he became engaged to Elizabeth. Roy was determined to show the world that he could make his own living without his father’s blessings. He decided to move to South Africa where he was determined to generate a fortune in the newly discovered diamond and gold fields. On the ship to S. Africa he met up with Walter Scott who was impressed with Roy’s ambitions. They became close friends and decided to travel together. They decided to visit Pilgrim’s Rest with Dr. Somershields from Barberton. At a party in the bar of the Royal Hotel in Pilgrims’ Rest, they both got drunk. Walter could become belligerent when tipsy and he accused Roy of stealing his purse of gold. Roy denied this. When Walter pulled a gun on him he ran off in the direction of the Methodist Church in Pilgrim’s in an effort to get away from his friend. Walter pursued him and shot him in the bushes above the church. Friends of the two and Walter wanted to avoid trouble and awkward investigations in the mining camp. They dug a grave where the body lay, and buried Roy secretly. Once Walter had sobered up he found his purse in his tent. He then realized his mistake and committed suicide. The same friends also secretly buried him next to Roy in an unmarked grave. The grave was dug North/South as opposed to the other graves all lying East/West. A simple wooden cross with “Robber’s Grave” was mounted, and the story was spread that a robber had been buried at that site. That story has prevailed until today. When Elizabeth stopped hearing from Roy she started longing for her man and eventually decided to follow him. After arriving in Kimberley she started to trace her fiancé’, only to be told that he and his friend had moved on to Barberton where they were going to pan for gold. In the company of her friend Trixie, they took a stagecoach journey to Barberton. On the way they were held up by the notorious Irish Brigade who robbed them of all their valuables and money. They arrived in Barberton penniless. In Barberton a Mrs. Emily Fernandez and Dr. Somershields, a medical doctor and lay geologist told Elizabeth that her fiancé had died Elizabeth was heartbroken and now realised that she was on her own without any means to stay alive. Her friend Trixie, who was previously a barmaid, knew the ways of men having had experience with sailors at the docksides in England. She convinced Elizabeth to try her luck as a barmaid. Elizabeth was a beautiful girl and a born entertainer with a good voice. She sang and entertained the diggers, eventually becoming the most popular and desired barmaid in Barberton. She was courted by the wealthy and famous businessmen operating in Barberton at the time. She started making money by auctioning herself off to the highest bidder amongst the diggers as a prize for the night and became the notorious Cockney Liz. Legend has it that the celebrated financier Alfred Beit of Corner House fame was madly in love with her and begged her to marry him but she turned him down. After working in the Red Light Canteen where she made her fortune, she opened the Royal Albert Hall. Her old friend Percy Scribbens proposed to her again and they were married in Johannesburg. She destroyed all evidence of her escapades in Barberton before leaving the town for good and returning to England with her husband. There is a tale that an old Barbertonian was on the platform of a train station in England. He noticed a beautiful woman sitting in a train compartment next to the window. He recognized her as Cockney Liz of Barberton and rushed to greet her. She ignored him. He persisted in trying to draw her attention. As the train started moving out of the station, she relented and sang one of the bar songs from the Royal Albert Hall. Various sources.” - Chris Smit, 2024/05/25

“Interesting information on the life and loves of Cockney Lizand other characters who lived in Barberton during the "Gold Rush" days can be found on: http://www.mpumalangahappenings.co.za/barberton_personalities.htm” - Chris Smit, 2015/04/06

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