| Baardskeerdersbos | |
| Other Name: | Baardscheerders Bosch |
| Coordinates: | -34.5889°N 19.5708°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Overberg |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Overstrand |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.10 |
| Elevation M: | 100 |
| Population Total: | 103 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 1.9% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 10.7% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 87.4% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 66.0% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 33.0% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 1.0% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 7271 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 7271 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 028 |
Baardskeerdersbos, also Baardscheerders Bosch in Dutch and locally known as B'bos, is a village in the Overberg region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. According to the 2011 census it has a population of 103 residents.
Baardskeerdersbos is located east of Gansbaai on the Gansbaai–Elim–Bredasdorp road. It lies on the southern slopes of a mountain called Perdekop ("Horse Hill"), at the base of the Boskloof ("Forest Gorge") through which a small river flows south off the mountain. Just south of the village the Boesmansrivier ("Bushman's River") flows from east to west; the Boskloof stream flows into this river.
The first reference to this area by Europeans dates to 1660, when Jan van Riebeek sent an expedition to explore the Overberg.[2] The farm "Baarscheerders Bosch" number 213 in the Bredasdorp registration district, which included the village and the surrounding farmland and hillside, was surveyed for a Phillip Fourie Senior in 1831; that original farm has since been subdivided considerably into separate farms, smallholdings and plots.[3] The current church in Baardskeerdersbos was built in 1921 and is a National Monument. For a long time the village remained rural and undisturbed, but recently it has been discovered as a quiet getaway particularly for residents of Cape Town; several new houses have been built, and several more renovated.
The name "Baardskeerdersbos" in Afrikaans or "Baardscheerders Bosch" in the original Dutch literally means "Beard Shaver's Forest". The accepted explanation for this name is that a species of solifuge inhabits the area, and that this arachnid is referred to as a "beard shaver" because it cuts hair to use for nest-building. The well-known cartographer and writer Peter Slingsby wrote a book entitled "Beard Shaver’s Bush: Place Names in the Cape" which discusses the origin of this and many other place names.