Laager Wall ....

Another small but significant piece of local history can be seen in the small town of Howick. Often overlooked by, or its existence unknown to visitors to the Howick Falls it is the remains of the town's laager wall. Built by Sir george Sutton and the villagers of the area its history is recorded thus:

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. 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. 

The pattern of the stonework would make an interesting abstract image. Including some of the plant life growing from the crevices, and the sign recording the wall's origins almost tells of the age and story.