This article first appeared on Lennie's personal blog on 20 September 2020. Click here to view. The main photo was taken by Lize Botes on the night of the fire.
The Potchefstroom railway station was destroyed by fire during the night of 19 September. This is a mere month after the General’s House, a declared historical building, succumbed to the same fate (click here to read more). The current station building was opened in 1919. It was once regarded as the third best railway station in the British Empire for its architectural features and beautiful lay-out.
According to the Potchefstroom Herald, the fire was noticed by a security guard who saw flames coming out of the roof by 23:00. The fire brigade was immediately notified, but when they arrived on the scene, the roof of the building had already caved in. The fire was extinguished by 00:20 but the building was destroyed by then.
The beautiful Cape Dutch gables of the Potchefstroom railway station are starkly silhouetted against the fire that destroyed the station on 19 September (sourced via social media)
101 year old
The Potchefstroom station used to be one of the grand old buildings of the city built in the Cape Dutch style. It is the...
