Cape Town's Cultural History Museum lies at the entrance to the Company's (Dutch East India Company) Gardens at the top of Adderley Street. It was originally built as a slave lodge by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, to house the slaves working in the gardens. After the second British occupation, the slaves were sold and in 1810 Thibault and Schutte converted the slave lodge into government offices, and finally into a courtroom. In use as a courtroom for over a century, the building was subsequently used for various other quarters of officialdom. Now restored and in use as the Cultural History Museum which contains an interesting collection of early postal stones, and the history of postage and currency in South Africa. There are many examples of furniture, glass ceramics, weapons, musical instruments and toys from the many countries whose people settled in South Africa. The archaeological section has interesting objects of Egyptian, Greek & Roman origin. The reconstructed tombstone of Jan van Riebeeck stands in the courtyard.

The Company's Gardens: Houses of Parliament: Plans were initially designed by Charles Freeman and incorporated a high central dome, Corinthian porticos and pavilions at the four corners. Statues surmounted the parapets and there were fountains in the gardens. The foundation stone was laid by Governor Sir Henry Barkly in 1875. Later it was found that the foundations were inadequate and Freeman was replaced as resident architect. Henry Greaves drew up an amended set of Freeman's plans and eventually in 1884, the Houses of Parliament were completed. Sir Herbert Baker later designed a new House of Assembly.

On the other side of the entrance to the Company's Gardens is St George's Cathedral. The foundation stone was laid in 1830 by Governor Sir Lowry Cole and at the same time Eerste Berg Dwars Straat was named St George's Street. The existing church was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Francis Masey. The buttress stone, inscribed with Arts and Crafts lettering, was laid by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V) in 1901.