[Originally published 17 June 2014] Over the past year a number of community members have brought the derelict state of the Royal Natal National Park Hotel to our attention. It appears as though there is a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel with AMAFA officials visiting the site in 2013 and requesting a heritage survey to be done by a qualified heritage practitioner.
We are very excited to publish this wonderful article from the Restorica archives (November 1976). M. A. P. Diemont Jr delves into the fascinating history of the design and construction of the old South African Reserve Bank Building in Cape Town. Today the building forms part of the Taj Hotel Complex. Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.
The recent articles about Vergelegen on the Heritage Portal brought back happy recent memories of our holiday stay in Somerset West over Christmas 2014.
This is the final installment of the special series 'The Story of Vergelegen'. It looks at the restoration undertaken by Anglo American Farms in the early 1990s and mentions a few of the illustrious guests that have visited the estate over the years. The series was based on an article compiled by Wilma de Bruin, editor of Restorica, in 1994. Once again we thank the University of Pretoria and the Heritage Association of South Africa for giving us permission to publish.
Vergelegen was to regain its former splendour with the arrival of Lady Florence (“Florrie”) Phillips and her mining magnate husband, Sir Lionel. A patron of the arts, a lady of great style and impeccable taste she set about restoring the old homestead which at that stage was described as “almost an uninhabitable ruin”.
In 1994 Wilma De Bruin, editor of Restorica, compiled an extraordinary article on the history of the Vergelegen Estate with the title 'Vergelegen: a perfect blend of past and present'. We have transformed this piece into a special series. After a brief introduction, part one looks at the first two centuries at Vergelegen and then tracks the estate’s decline in the early 20th Century under the ownership of Samuel Kerr.
Walking Cullinan's Heritage Trail is the perfect way to get to know the history of this remarkable town. Enjoy Part 1* of the trail below, get excited and start planning your next trip! Thank you to the Cullinan Heritage Society for sending all the details through.
* We have broken the trail into two parts
Below is another fascinating article from the South African Railway Magazine. It puts the spotlight on Bloemfontein's history, buildings and, of course, the momentous occasion of the arrival of the railway. It also highlights the rapid development happening in the Colony following the end of the Anglo-Boer War. Thank you to the Heritage Office at Transnet for giving us access to their archives.
[Intro originally published 30 July 2015] Last week we visited the Modderfontein Historic Village to hear about plans that development firm Zendai has for the area but more specifically to hear what will happen to the historic buildings on site. We were told that it is too early to go into specific details but the buildings will be retained and used as a major selling point for whatever use is decided. One of the ideas mentioned in passing was that the buildings could form part of a new University.
The Rand Club 1887-1957 no author (research/writing by L E Neame), published by The Rand Club, illustrated, 183 pages, first edition, with dust wrapper. This volume, published to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Rand Club in Johannesburg, was the first of the three official histories of the Club.