The legend of Cockney Liz has been synonymous with the mysteries that surround the gold rush days of the earliest history of Barberton. Many have wondered about this famous women and how much of the tales were actually true and which were merely fiction of an over active imagination.

Finally most questions will be answered with the publication of Hans Bornman’s latest book Cockney Liz – legendary barmaid of Barberton.

According to legend, Cockney Liz, the famous barmaid of Barberton, arrived in Africa in January 1886 in search of her fiancé. After following his trail to the bustling gold rush town of Barberton, her dreams were shattered when she discovered that he had died. Without a penny to her name, she had no other choice than to take a position at the Red Light Canteen as en entertainer and barmaid.

Liz’s charms soon had diggers flocking to the canteen and she quickly became famous, or should we rather say infamous? Legend has it that she was auctioned off to the highest bidder at the end of every evening. Her most famous auction was the occasion when an unfortunate digger offered 96 Kimberley Imperial shares, worth over £800 at the time, to spend the night with her.

Before long, Liz had enough money to buy the Red Light Canteen, then to build the Royal Albert Hall. Once again, she became the talk of the town, this time for her shrewd business sense.

Cockney Liz disappeared from the Barberton gold fields as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving many questions behind.

Now for the first time, after extensive research and tracing her footsteps back to Europe, Bornman reveals the real story.

The book will soon be available at Exclusive Books.

The front cover of the new book