Cookhouse

Cookhouse Kookhuis
Cookhouse station sign
Cookhouse Show map of Eastern Cape Cookhouse Show map of South Africa Cookhouse Show map of Africa  Cookhouse shown within Eastern Cape
Coordinates: 32°44′43″S 25°48′17″E / 32.74528°S 25.80472°E / -32.74528; 25.80472Coordinates: 32°44′43″S 25°48′17″E / 32.74528°S 25.80472°E / -32.74528; 25.80472
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Sarah Baartman
Municipality	Blue Crane Route
Government
• Type	Ward 01
• Councillor	Ntombentsha Glenda Mjikelo (ANC)
Area
• Total	50.98 km2 (19.68 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	5,707
• Density	110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	80.7%
• Coloured	16.0%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	2.8%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011)
• Xhosa	75.4%
• Afrikaans	19.7%
• English	2.5%
• Other	2.4%
Postal code (street)	5820
PO box	5820
Area code	042

Cookhouse (Afrikaans: Kookhuis) is a small village located in Eastern Cape province, South Africa, some 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of Port Elizabeth and 24 kilometres (15 mi) east of Somerset East, on the west bank of the Great Fish River.

The Great Fish River formed the eastern boundary of the Cape Colony until 1819. The current village is said to take its name from a small stone house used for shelter and cooking by troops camping on the bank of this river. Another explanation links the name to the hot climate as experienced by the troops stationed there. In the 1870s, the government of Prime Minister John Molteno oversaw a massive expansion of the Cape Colony's railway system, and a route northwards to De Aar from Port Elizabeth and Port Alfred was chosen by the Cape Government Railways to pass through what is now Cookhouse. A station was built here, which became an important railway junction, and a small settlement formed around this connection.