During Heritage Month 2019 I gave a talk to a preservation group on the story of The Heritage Portal so far. Part of the presention involved unpacking some stats behind the platform. I always keep an eye on what stories are doing well week to week but I'd never done an overall look at the numbers. It was a lot of fun and I emerged from the research feeling deeply proud and humbled by the impact the Portal has had.

A massive thank you to all the contributors that have shared their fascinating stories over the years. By doing so you have played a vital role in preserving South Africa's heritage! Enjoy the quick numbers below:

• Founded: 2012
• Number of visitors / unique users: 1 132 795
• Busiest month: August 2019 - 41 814 unique users
• Average monthly users 2019: - +- 30 000
• Contributors: 258
• Articles: 763
• Notices: 2206
• Book Reviews: 133
• Threads: 227
• Images: 7742

Here is a list of the most read articles as well which is always interesting (click on the title to view):

1. Mining Headgears - Pure Functionality Ruling over Beauty (Peter Ball)
2. Rediscovering the 1947 Royal Visit to South Africa (Kathy Munro)
3. One of the most extraordinary archaeological and historical phenomena in Southern Africa (Peter Delius, Tim Maggs & Alex Schoeman)
4. A Brief History of Knysna from 1770 to 1890 (Philip Caveney)
5. The Grave Story of Rietfontein (Sizwe) Hospital (Naomi Dinur)
6. The Last Remaining Natural Waterfall in Johannesburg (William Gaul)
7. Sandton has a new tallest building! (James Ball)
8. A Brief History of Roads in South Africa (Peter Ball)
9. Dark History Behind the Oriental Plaza (Nigel Mandy)
10. Forbidden Images (1960s to 1980s) - Illegal photographs captured by young men conscripted into the South African Military (Carol Hardijzer)

About the author: James Ball is the founder and editor of The Heritage Portal