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Kloof Camp was a British military encampment established near Colesberg in the Northern Cape during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). In early 1900, British forces under Lieutenant-General Sir John French were operating in the Colesberg district, attempting to counter Boer commandos led by generals such as Piet Cronjé and Christiaan de Wet. The camp served as a base for artillery units, including field batteries and mounted infantry, tasked with controlling the strategic railway and passes around Colesberg, which was a key junction on the Cape–Free State border. The British used the camp to launch reconnaissance and skirmishing operations against Boer positions on the surrounding hills, such as Rietfontein and Slingersfontein, where several sharp engagements occurred in January and February 1900. The camp's artillery played a role in bombarding Boer positions and covering British movements, though the campaign in this sector was largely inconclusive until the British relief of Kimberley and the advance on Bloemfontein later that year. The site itself is not a formally preserved heritage monument, but it forms part of the broader historical landscape of the Colesberg area, which saw extensive military activity during the war. The town of Colesberg, founded in 1830, was a significant staging post and remained under British military occupation for much of 1900, with the camp serving as a logistical and artillery hub for operations in the northern Cape Colony.
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