Old Oak Slave Tree Memorial

The padlocked chain embedded in the tree trunk is believed to have shackled people during slave auctions. Making it impossible for slaves to have been chained to it.The Old Slave Tree Memorial is located in Spin Street, Cape Town. It was an old fir tree that was cut down in 1916. The site is now an octagonal memorial erected on a traffic island in remembrance of the very large number of slaves that were said to be sold under the tree. The words “On this spot stood the old slave tree” is inscribed on the plaque.  Most of the slaves, who were sold under the tree, were brought to the Cape from Africa and Asia. The slave tree is located in close proximity to the Slave Lodge, which housed many of the slaves and too operates as a slave memorial now. The slave tree also functioned as a gathering for slaves who were not allowed to enter churches. In 1951, the last remnants of the tree were removed as the stump of the tree was destroyed in order to widen the street.  In 2014, the Old Slave Tree Memorial was highlighted during the World Design Capital event in Cape Town.