Allanridge is a gold-mining town situated on the R30 Provincial Route in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality in the Free State province of South Africa.
Overview
| Country: | South Africa |
| Province: | Free State |
| District: | Lejweleputswa |
| Municipality: | Matjhabeng |
| Established: | 1947 |
| Named After: | Allan Roberts |
| Total Area: | 31.7 km² (12.2 sq mi) |
| Population: | 19,337 (2011) |
| Population Density: | 610/km² (1,580/sq mi) |
| Time Zone: | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal Code (street): | 9490 |
| PO Box: | 9490 |
| Area Code: | 057 |
About
Allanridge was established in 1947 as a settlement in the Free State goldfields and was named after Allan Roberts whose borehole’s proximity to the gold bearing reef was the precursor to the mining in the area.
The town layout was designed by town planner William Backhouse, who also planned Welkom, the second-largest city in the Free State province.
It became a municipality on 21 December 1956 but this changed on the 5 December 2000 when it was incorporated into the Matjhabeng Local Municipality with the city of Welkom and the towns of Odendaalsrus, Hennenman, Virginia, and Ventersburg.
Allanridge is situated approximately 175 km northeast of Bloemfontein (the provincial capital) and 3.4 km northwest of Nyakallong township.
Allanridge is the main centre of the Lorraine Gold Mining Company that processes thousands of tons of gold-bearing ore. The tall headgear and reduction works of the Lorraine gold mine is one of town’s landmarks. “Paulina” an old mine locomotive can be seen at the entrance of the mine. The deep-mining process is used to extract gold.
