Hanover, the town that everyone knows as the town halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town, was established on land bought in 1854 from farmer Gous. He sold the farm on the condition that it be called Hanover, after the birthplace of his German ancestors. Sufficient water was available from a spring at the foot of a group of hills, and the town gradually expanded and became the center of a world-renowned Merino sheep area. The core of the town was the NG Church. Hanover's first magistrate, C. R. Beere, oversaw the layout of the streets and the planting of peppercorn trees. It has an old world atmosphere and an interesting history. His first minister, Burgers, was accused of heresy and run out of town. The ever-controversial Olive Schreiner lived in a small house on Grace Street from 1906 – 1907. Most of the historic houses and its public buildings, such as the ornate Court House, built in 1897, are well preserved. The central hill, Trappieskop, so named because Magistrate Beere laid out a series of steps to the top, offers wonderful views.