Kosmos is primarily a village in the North West Province of South Africa. It is situated on the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam.
The first homes were built in the 1920s, shortly after the dam was constructed. It is thought that the name derives from the Kosmos which grows wild in great drifts in many parts of the Highveld, and in particular on the roads from the nearby major cities. This links back to the Anglo-Boer War when the British imported horse feed to South Africa from Argentina contaminated with the Kosmos seeds. More homes followed over the years, and the style moved steadily up market. Little development of commercial enterprises ever took place, although it is said that in earlier years the ‘Sail Inn’ on the waterfront was a favourite watering hole. Many Anglo-Boer War battles raged around the area and the British built one of the blockhouses on the crest of the range above the village, in view of its strategic position.
