FEBRUARY 2005 TALK
The Origins of Claremont: Reading Cultural Landscape through Spatial
Studies
By Sally Titlestad
DATE: Tuesday 15 February 2005
TIME: 20h00
VENUE: The Athenaeum, Newlands, located in Boundary Terrace, at
the intersection of Mariendahl and Campground Roads
Sally has a M.Phil in architecture and is currently a researcher,
consulting to Cape heritage practitioners.
The 19th century saw the beginnings of suburbs in Cape Town and across
the globe. Studies of the development of suburbia have not been
undertaken until recently, and assumptions are made about the factors
that affected their development. These assumptions tend to be broad and
general, inaccurate and misleading.
This presentation will give an overview of one spatial study that
explored these influences in a small section of Claremont, Cape Town.
The characteristic notation of this area is that there is a combination
of small semi-detached houses very close to larger properties. The
presentation will provide a 'walk through' of research exploring the
early subdivisions of two estates in Claremont, Feldhausen and Sans
Souci, and will show some of the uses of surveyors diagrams in 'reading'
landscape where the buildings largely no longer exist.
The material evidence used to explore the 19th century divisions of
this land were surveyor general's diagrams and maps, coupled with oral
history recorded at that time.
The research findings reinforce the strength of the link between
slavery and land, and raise questions about the changes in social status
that attended slave emancipation and the occupation of space. Pre-19th
century buildings have not generally been retained, leaving
architectural form referring back to the 19th century (in other words British Colonial Buildings), but scarcely to the preceding period.
Issues concerning heritage management of vernacular (architect-less)
form and cultural landscape, its assessment and management will be
raised at this first talk of the year. 15 March 2005 The talk on the 15th March will also be the AGM. The annual
subscriptions will be announced and members are encouraged to bring
along their cheque books/ dosh, in order to sign up on the night,
receive their new coloured slip/ badge and streamline things.
The talk will be given by Andre van Graan, (current chairman) on
looking at the wine estates described by Professor Biermann in his book
Rooiwyn in Suid Afrika
Barrie Biermann, along with James Walton, addressed the Summer School
at UCT in 1964 that led to the founding of VASSA by a group of
enthusiasts bitten by the 'vernacking' bug. Red wine and whiskey were
the liquids of choice of these venerable gentlemen. It behoves us to
honour them.
In his book, which reflects his great understanding and empathy for the
interaction between people, place, climate and tradition, he discusses a
number of winemakers and their wines. Now perhaps appearing somewhat
old-fashioned, given the plethora of new estates that we have today, the
book, nevertheless highlights the achievements of the pioneer
wine-makers of the sixties.
|
