Groot Constantia Trail #10: Rising from the Ashes (Part 1) | History (1927-1971)
This is the 10th cache of an 11-cache trail which will take you around this beautiful historic vineyard passing by most of its key features along the way.
The cache, a camo-taped bison tube, is hidden in a tiny shady grove of small trees along the jeep track high above the estate as it contours through the upper vineyards.
The last three caches cover the complete restoration of the Manor House after the devastating fire of 1926.
Rising from the Ashes (Part 1)
At 5pm on Saturday 19 December 1925, a wisp of smoke was seen to rise lazily from the thatched roof near the kitchen of the Groot Constantia Manor House. Moments later the huge thatched roof caught fire creating an uncontrollable inferno. With no brandsolder (fire-loft) to contain the flames, the blaze crashed through to the boarded ceilings of the rooms below and through that to the main floor. Other than bare blackened walls and gables, nothing of the historic wooden roof beams, ceilings, heavy wood lintels, wooden doors, window frames and built-in cupboards survived this great fire. Also, much of the internal wall plastering damaged by the extreme heat peeled off and continued doing so because of subsequent exposure to the elements.
Architect Franklin Kendall FRIBA, entrusted by the Public Works Department in 1926 to restore this Manor House states in his book, The Restoration of Groot Constantia, ‘A more complete burn out could scarcely be imagined’.
At the time, the destruction of this, the most historical farm house in South Africa, caused profound dismay, but in retrospect it may have been a blessing in disguise. The restoration of this Manor House, ably and sensitively overseen by Kendall, bar one possible criticism, offered opportunity to examine the layout of the original building and identify the extensive alterations and additions of the preceding centuries.
Fortunately, all the outbuildings escaped this fire and are therefore either part of the original estate, or date from the renovations carried out by Hendrik Cloete in the 18th century.
Most may think this historic Manor House was built by Simon van der Stel at the end of the 17th century. But, while the present building probably rests on the foundations of the original house, there is little resemblance between the two buildings.
Unusually for the time, Kendall believed that to suitably restore a historical building all the relevant written sources and its complete structure should be thoroughly researched and investigated. Fortunately, he recorded all his findings and conclusions in his book which has become quite rare Africana. The Foreword is by the late Senator FS Malan and Kendall dedicated it to Herbert Baker with the following inscription: ‘Who awakened an interest in the arts of the old Cape settlers and laid the foundation of a national architecture in South Africa’.
He felt it would be impractical to restore the house to what it might have looked like during Van der Stel’s lifetime, as there was no reliable available.
After some debate, he accepted the brief to restore GC to the principle of ‘Constantia at its best’. The result is probably even more impressive than in its heyday when GC was owned for just over a century by the Cloete family. The restoration enabled Kendall to remove modern additions that detracted rather than adding to the house’s appearance including a lean-to corrugated iron roof added sometime at the back.
It was also agreed that the thatched roof should be kept retained at all costs as being essentially typical of the old Cape style. A brandsolder was needed to protect against a future possible fire and old building material was to be preserved wherever possible.
In reviewing the structure of GC and comparing a 1741 drawing of this house by German draughtsman JW Heydt, to his own findings in the walls of the fire damaged building, he concluded at some time almost the entire house had been rebuilt and considerably enlarged. He argued that Heydt’s drawing, which had previously not received much credence, showed the original house did not have any gables and probably accurately represented its original appearance when Van der Stel lived here.
History (1927-1971)
1927: The homestead is opened as a museum, and Alfred de Pass, from now until his death in 1952, donates and buys objects for the Manor house and refurbishes it. The museum is particularly focused on rural slavery and the life of slaves during the early Cape colonial period.
1936: The homestead, with areas surrounding it and all objects thereon, is proclaimed a National Monument by the Minister of the Interior.
1963: Control of the farm is handed over to the Agricultural Technical Service.
1969: The South African Cultural History Museum, presently part of Iziko Museums of Cape Town, becomes responsible for the running of the farmstead and historic Cloete wine cellar.
1971: a wine museum is established in a part of the wine cellar by the South African Cultural History Museum. In 1974 this was closed and demolished. >>>
