Details of the history of Kloof has been written by
Richmond Farm This part of
KwaZulu-Natal was originally a farm 'Richmond', whose survey was ordained by the first Lieutenant-Governor of Colony Sir
Martin West, following his 1845 appointment to the post; he also named it, after
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond (
Yorkshire, England). The land Kloof occupies formed the Richmond Farm No. 999: this was purchased by William Swan FIELD, the first Collector of Customs (position he held until 1852) for
Natal Colony, in 1845 for an amount of £245. He was also one of the first Magistrates of
Durban. In 1845 his brother John Coote FIELD and his family settled on the farm, having arrived from the
Cape Colony on the
Pilot. The farm was eventually transferred into J C Field's name by Deed of Transfer in 1867, at a declared value of £1,401
pounds & 10
shillings. The original farmhouse, called Richmond House, was built by J C Field in 1854 to replace an earlier wattle & daub house. The 'Richmond' section of the farm passed to his son John Coote FIELD the Second in 1880 on the occasion of his marriage, who partially demolished the original Richmond House and rebuilt another homestead nearby. J C Field the First died in 1896, and upon the death of his widow in 1901 the Farm was divided amongst the surviving heirs: for each son, for each daughter, and the homestead plus to his youngest son Benjamin Cromwell Colenso FIELD. Current surviving relatives of J C Field still reside in the highway area: John Padley Field (adopted) and his daughter Kathleen Merle Field.
Kloof village The further subdivisions and sale of portions of Richmond Farm No. 999 by the Field heirs after 1901 resulted in the birth of Kloof as a residential area: numerous plots were sold to wealthy Durban residents and businessmen, who built country house retreats close to the city, but (due to its 550 m
above sea level elevation) removed from the Durban humidity and heat. These were particularly favoured by their wives and children during the long hot summer holidays. From the 1890s onwards the appearance of the area therefore changed significantly, from its previous '
sandstone sourveld' grassland to its current heavily wooded flora. Kloof was originally called 'Krantzkloof' by J C Field the First, after the nearby Kloof
Gorge, but this name was later changed to 'Kloof' at the special request of the General Manager of the Railways, since due to a name similarity with Kranskop there had been significant confusion and misdeliveries of railway goods: the Railway Station was therefore renamed, and the town with it. The current Station building is a replacement of an earlier one, built in 1896, and it remained operational until the closure of this branch of the Durban-
Pietermaritzburg railway line to passenger traffic in the 1970s. The building is now being utilised as a popular bar restaurant; it is also the main terminus of the
Umgeni Steam Railway. As roads improved, an increasing number of people began permanently living in Kloof and during the 1960s and 1970s, the development of the traditional Kloof houses occurred. These consisted of large houses that were built on stands of at least . Many of the houses have
slate roofs, a swimming pool, small guest houses and tennis courts and they are often tucked away amidst the trees. == Geography ==