Brian Rycroft was a South African botanist who led the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch for thirty years, until 1983 [IC]. In 1977, while still Director of Kirstenbosch, he established the Greyton Nature Reserve on the mountain commonage above Greyton [IC]. The reserve covers about 2,200 hectares, and its trails, fynbos, and water sources are among the valley’s most valued places today [IC].
What the letters in square brackets mean
Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.
- [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by at least two sources that do not depend on each other, or by an official record.
- [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from one organisation’s own account. For Rycroft, some details come from the published history of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), which runs Kirstenbosch.
- [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it yet.
Right of reply
Brian Rycroft died in 1990, within living memory. His family and people who knew him are invited to correct or add to this page through How to Submit.
At a glance
| Born | 26 July 1910, in Pietermaritzburg [TBV] |
| Died | 1 December 1990, in East London [TBV] |
| Known for | Leading Kirstenbosch from 1953 or 1954 to 1983, and establishing the Greyton Nature Reserve in 1977 [IC] |
| Link to the valley | Founder of the nature reserve on Greyton’s mountain commonage |
His life
Hedley Brian Rycroft was born in Pietermaritzburg on 26 July 1910, the only son of English parents who had come to South Africa from Bedford [TBV]. He became a botanist, and succeeded Professor Robert Harold Compton as Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch [IC]. Sources give the year he took up the post as 1953 or 1954 [IC]. SANBI describes him as the first South African-born director of Kirstenbosch [MS].
During his thirty years as director, the number of national botanical gardens in South Africa grew a great deal, and SANBI credits him with a leading part in that growth [MS]. He retired in July 1983 [IC]. He died on 1 December 1990 in East London [TBV].
The Greyton Nature Reserve
In 1977 Rycroft established the Greyton Nature Reserve [IC]. It was proclaimed on 13 May 1977 [IC]. It lies on the steep southern slopes of the Riviersonderend mountains, on the commonage that Greyton’s histories say Herbert Vigne left to the village’s plot owners [IC]. It covers about 2,200 hectares, up to the peaks of Uitkyk, Wa en Osse, and Perdekop [IC].
The Greyton Conservation Society, active since 1979, helps Theewaterskloof Municipality manage the reserve [MS]. The reserve protects Greyton Shale Fynbos, a plant community named after the village, which was listed as Critically Endangered in 2022 [IC].
Whether Rycroft lived in Greyton, or how he came to take up the reserve, is not recorded in the sources found so far [TBV].
Links to other figures
- Herbert Vigne created the commonage on which the reserve lies.
What is still open
- How Rycroft came to establish the reserve, and whether he lived in or near Greyton.
- Who worked with him to set it up, and how the municipality and residents were involved.
- The year he became Director of Kirstenbosch: 1953 or 1954.
- His dates of birth and death, which rest on one source.
Related
References
- SANBI. 1950s. Rycroft as the first South African-born Director of Kirstenbosch, succeeding Compton, and his part in expanding the national gardens.
- South African Journal of Science (2013). Kirstenbosch: A unique blend of beauty and science. His thirty-year tenure, ending in 1983.
- Namibiana Buchdepot. H.B. Rycroft. His full name, birth, parents, appointment in 1953, retirement in July 1983, and death on 1 December 1990.
- Country Life. Greyton’s better nature. The reserve established by Prof. Brian Rycroft in 1977.
- Xplorio Greyton. Greyton Nature Reserve. The reserve established in 1977 while he was Director of Kirstenbosch.
- Greyton Conservation Society. Home. The reserve’s proclamation on 13 May 1977, its extent, and the society’s role.