Avondale, Harare

Coordinates: 17°48′10″S 31°02′32″E / 17.80278°S 31.04222°E / -17.80278; 31.04222

Avondale is a suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, located about 3.5 kilometres (2 mi) north of Harare city centre. It is the earliest suburb established in Harare, having been laid out in 1903. Prior to becoming a suburb Avondale was a dairy farm and was named after Avondale, County Wicklow, Ireland the home of the 19th-century Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell. Avondale was incorporated into Harare Municipality in 1934.

The first official marriage ceremony in Zimbabwe took place on Avondale farm in 1894 when the Count de la Panouse was married to Fanny Pearson (Countess Billie) by Lt Col. Marshall Hole, the Chief Magistrate of Salisbury. Countess Billie managed the dairy farm and at the time supplied Salisbury with 100 bottles of milk a day and 100 pounds of butter a week.

Modern-day Avondale has expanded to include an extension, Avondale West, as well as a vibrant shopping centre with three supermarkets, a fleamarket, three cinemas, several restaurants in addition to various other shops and businesses.

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