At 35’C, I feel far too hot to write much. Pictures can express more than I can in this heat, so enjoy the patterns below:
Moth on a curtain on a hot summer evening.
Escutcheon on a door of an old building.
Knitting paused in the heat.
Light shining through a wine glass.
Raindrops on nasturtium leaves.
Ceiling rosette in an old building.
I keep meaning to show off more of the town I live in. These days I have little reason to visit the CBD as I mostly buy groceries on its perimeter. Nonetheless, here is a view of the lovely façades of buildings that line one side of Church Square – often referred to as lower High Street.
This pretty green and white building is the original Muirhead & Gowie store that abuts the Grocott’s Mail building I will move onto next. The architect of this building was Hubert William Walker, who definitely set out to make it look very attractive with moulded pilasters and relief plasterwork. The walls are constructed in a method known as English Bond brickwork. This, I gather, combines alternate courses of stretchers and headers and is regarded as one of the strongest bonds and so is commonly used for bridges and other engineering projects. You can just glimpse the octagonal louvred corner tower supported by stub columns.
Just for fun, I include an extract from the Grahamstown Journal Tuesday 12 June 1900 which mentions this shop in its heyday:
… The bride wore a pretty travelling costume of grey, which was the tasteful work of Messrs. Muirhead & Gowie, while the bridesmaid wore a cream dress with hat to match, also from Messrs. Muirhead & Gowie. The wedding party carried lovely bouquets from the famous gardens of Messrs. W. & C. Gowie.
Right next to this is the Grocott’s Mail building which has both Victorian and Flemish features. While the building bears the date 1869-1906, the present façade was added in after a devastating fire in 1906 which caused the roof to collapse.
An enormous fire in 2005 was also the reason for a very careful reconstruction of the late Victorian Bon Marche building. It was with infinite care that a red brick external skin was erected, stiffened with concealed concrete columns. Attached to this are exact copies of the original mouldings sculpted out of fibreglass. How fortunate we are that this could be done!
Several readers commented on the striking appearance of the Cape Dutch architecture when I showed a picture of the historic Geelbek restaurant in the West Coast National Park:
The Cape Dutch architecture developed in South Africa, drawing on the Dutch architectural fashion at the time of ornate gables and high roofs. The thick white washed walls and small-paned sliding sash windows were designed to keep out the summer heat. The cooling effect was also enhanced in some cases with the addition of wooden shutters.
This architectural style evolved over a period of time from the 17th century through to the early 19th century. Here is a long view of the Manor House at Vergelegen:
As there was plenty of space on country farms, these Cape Dutch homes could spread out to include layouts forming a T and H or even a U. Probably the most iconic feature of this style is the central gable, which varies in design from a simple stepped gable to those which are embellished with scrolls. This rather simple gable has been incorporated in a home in the Eastern Cape:
Most homes are lime-washed in white, although some, like the Manor House at the Vergelegen Farm, have been painted cream. Doors, shutters and window frames are generally a dark green.
These homes have a central front door with a fanlight window above and is flanked by windows. Note that the windows immediately flanking the door are half the width of the other windows.Some of these doors are in the form of a stable door which can open in two halves – the advantage of this design is to that the upper portion can be kept open during the hot weather. Thatched roofs are well adapted to the sunny climate for it helps to keep the interior of the building cool. Cape thatching reed (Thamnochortus insignis) which is endemic to the Western Cape is used in a thick layer with a steep slope to ensure that rain water will run off with minimal penetration. Typically, an outside staircase led to the storeroom under the roof.
The early farm houses were single-storey, usually with three rooms. They tended to be rectangular in shape, with a wooden frame, wattle and clay walls, and shuttered windows symmetrically placed either side of the central front door. Floors were made of mud or dung inset with peach pits and polished to a shine. This is a typical early Cape Dutch style fisherman’s cottage in Arniston:
Featured in this post is a range of buildings showing different styles and purposes. This is no architectural tour in the sense of line, form and general beauty. Instead it looks at purpose and gives a glimpse of perspectives through the ages. I start with a simple roadside picnic spot somewhere in the Western Cape:
Given the long distances one has to travel between towns in this country, it is wonderful to have dedicated spaces where one can safely pull off the road for a break. These picnic spots often have a large tree or two to provide shade – the thatched roof of this one is an indication that large trees are not abundant in this area. Concrete tables and stools are usually provided, along with a litter bin. The ones in the Western Cape are generally beautifully clean. I wish I could say the same of those in the Eastern Cape, which are poorly maintained with the litter bins seldom emptied and the tables and stools often broken or have disappeared.
Another simple and practical design is illustrated by this Forest Hut in the Addo Elephant National Park:
Built from timber, it is fairly spacious inside and each hut is screened from its neighbour by a thick hedge of natural vegetation. The ubiquitous braai is included and there is a microwave indoors. A well-equipped camp kitchen is a short walk away.
Far less attractive to the eye are the number of blockhouses in South Africa, remnants of the Anglo-Boer War. You can read more about this Geelbek Blockhouse near Laingsburg in this post: https://somethingovertea.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/geelbek-river-blockhouse/
Much more attractive is the Cape Dutch architecture as illustrated by this building in the West Coast National Park. Coincidentally, this building which dates back to about 1860 is also named Geelbek – after the Yellow-billed Duck:
A more detailed account of it can be read at https://somethingovertea.wordpress.com/2022/10/27/geelbek-visitors-centre/
We come to my home town of Grahamstown for the final two buildings. The first is the Albany Museum in Somerset Street, which was established in 1855. It is designed in the Cape Dutch Revival style:
Lastly, a visit to High Street one Remembrance Day to see both the City Hall and the Standard Bank:
The City Hall, built in 1882, is an example of Gothic Revival architecture, finished in rubble masonry, with cast concrete dressings. The Standard Bank was completed in 1934. The base of the building, the steps and the surrounds to the entrance doors are constructed in Roman stone, while the remainder of the facade is finished in a rough textured plaster – no glass and steel structures then: banks needed to look solid!
I saw these men hard at work restoring one of the very old Settler Cottages in Grahamstown this morning:
Something Over Tea 