Museums

South Africa’s oldest building surviving intact. The Castle was begun in 1666 as the second major VOC fortification at the Cape. It is a five pointed structure with six foot thick, stone-clad walls and built according to early 17th century Dutch fortification principles. It is a very well preserved building and bears similarities to other VOC castles in the East such as in Sri Lanka.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

This house museum was originally built as the home for a well-to-do Cape family during the late 18th century. It houses some of the best pieces of Cape furniture and silver in the country, in addition to a priceless collection of ceramics.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

Rust en Vreugd was built in 1778 and is believed to be the finest surviving example of 18th century urban architecture in South Africa. It is set in a period-styled garden with citrus trees, rosemary hedges, heritage roses as well as indigenous shrubs, lavendar and medicinal herbs.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

The Museum was established in 1978 as a satellite of the SA Cultural History Museum. It was furnished as a house that depicts the lifestyle of a nineteenth-century Muslim family.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

The Manor House is a magnificent example of Cape Dutch architecture and houses a fine collection of period furniture and ceramics. The Cloete Cellar and Orientation Centre provide visitors with an understanding of the unique history of the oldest farm in South Africa.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

Address:	Street: 18 Swellengrebel Street, Swellendam, 6740 Postal: 18 Swellengrebel Street, Swellendam, 6740
Telephone:	(0291) 4-1138
Fax:	(0291) 4-2675
Enquiries to:	The Head of the Museum
Hours of opening:	08h00-13h00, 14h00-16h45
Access:	By appointment only.

Brief history:Collection started in 1938 by a member of Drostdy Commission, later to became the Drostdy Museum.

Acquisitions policy:Manuscripts and documents relating to the Swellendam settlement and its people.

Areas of specialisation:Local history.

Core holdings:Moodie Collection relating to the Settlers of 1817. Barry and Nephews (mercantile establishment) Collection. Swellendam Societies and Clubs 19th century.

Finding aids:Gids op Manuskripte in die Drostdy-museum, Swellendam. Pretoria: State Archives Service, 1988. First Edition.

National register participation:NAREM. Not linked for on-line retrieval.

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Address:	Street: 1 Parsonage Street, Graaff-Reinet, 6280 Postal: P.O. Box 104, Graaff-Reinet, 6280
Telephone:	(049) 892-3801
Fax:	(049) 892-5650
Enquiries to:	The Curator
Hours of opening:	Mon-Fri 08h00-12h30, 14h00-17h00 Sat 09h00-12h00 Sun 09h00-12h00 (Reinet House) (Old Library)
Access:	Research can be done during above office hours at Urquhart House Museum. Photocopier available.

Brief history:Documents have been collected since 1956 when Reinet House was established as a museum. Taken up in archive since 1993 and not completed.

Acquisitions policy:Documents, books, maps, certificates, photographs, newspapers that have been bearing on Graaff-Reinet area, people, town, etc. are collected.

Areas of specialisation:Graaff-Reinet Heralds. Graaff-Reinet Advertisers Anglo-Boer War. Family history. Maps. Scrap books. Minute books of agencies, businesses, municipality. Ledgers of companies. Photograph collection of Graaff-Reinet and farms. William Roe Photographic Collection.

Core holdings:Largest group collection: newspapers. Most heavily consulted: family history. Acquisitions policy: Museum policy, title (evidence in form of receipt/voucher/gift), records (history important), providence (information), ethics.

Finding aids:Catalogue available.

National register participation:No.

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Address:	Street: Long Street, Montagu, 6720 Postal: P.O. Box 107, Montagu, 6720
Telephone:	(023) 614-1950
Fax:	(023) 614-1950
Enquiries to:	The Curator
Hours of opening:	Mon-Fri 8h00-17h00
Access:	No restrictions.

Brief history:In 1996 all documentation in possession of the Montagu Museum was accommodated in a documentation centre – the building adjacent to the Ou Sendingkerk Museum. This centre houses the museum library – Africana and Montaguana – documents and photograph collections. We are in the process of putting everything on computer.

Acquisitions policy:See areas of specialisation below.

Areas of specialisation:Traditional Medicines Project. Ar de Vries fossil collection. Architecture of Montagu. Cultural/Historical History of Montagu.

Core holdings:Indigenous Medicinal Plant Project: 18 years research findings of medicinal plants and their uses. Area of research: Montagu District. Ongoing research, so far 120 plants have been researched. Ar de Vries Fossil Collection: Complete collection of fossils in the process of being classified and catalogued as well as researched. Montagu Architecture: Complete documentation of National Monuments; other historical buildings, Conservation Zones. Cultural/Historical History of Montagu: Theme of Museum collection pertaining to social, political, economic and religious aspects of the community.

Finding aids:Acquisition register.

National register of participation:No.

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Address:	Druids Lodge, 50 Paul Kruger Street, Robertson, 6705
Telephone:	(02351) 3681
Enquiries to:	The Honorary Curator
Hours of opening:	Mon-Sat 09h00-12h00 (Closed Public Holidays)
Access:	Not restricted.

Acquisitions policy:Any material concerning the town, including photographs, postcards, letters, oral history.

Areas of specialisation:The Robertson family, descendants of Dr. William Robertson who gave his name to the town. The English family who lived at Druids Lodge. The Barry family of Swellendam with special reference to their business in Robertson for well over 100 years. Various societies and sports clubs of Robertson. Education in the town, etc.

Core holdings:What we have endeavoured to do, is to collect as much material as possible concerning the town from prior to its establishment in 1853 to the present. There is nothing of note that has been published to date except for a slim volume sponsored by the DR Church on the occasion of the town’s centenary in 1953.

Finding aids:Nothing has been as yet published. Much of the information requires to be listed.

National register participation:No.

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Address:	Street: Erfurthuis, Ryneveldstreet, Stellenbosch, 7600 Postal: P.O. Box X5048, Stellenbosch, 7599
Telephone:	(021) 887-2928
Fax:	(021) 883-2232
Enquiries to:	The Archivist
Hours of opening:	Mon – Thursday 8:00 – 12:00 Friday 12:30 – 16:30
Access:	Open to anyone who wishes to use the material.

Acquisitions policy:Documents of the written and spoken word, as well as photographs, of people of Stellenbosch (town and district) are collected.

Areas of specialisation:Documents. Newspaper clippings. Books. Tape recordings. Photographs.

Core holdings:Books dealing with Stellenbosch. Documents of every description, such as programmes, letters, diaries, deeds of transfer, etc. Newspaper clippings, mainly the local weekly (Eikestadnuus). Photographs of Stellenbosch people: individuals, married couples, family and other groups. Tape recordings of interviews with residents of Stellenbosch and talks by speakers at member’s meetings.

Finding aids:Collections can be searched by catalogue cards or indexed by computer.

National register participation:No.

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Address:	Street: 37 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch Postal: Private Bag X5048, Stellenbosch, 7599
Telephone:	(021) 887-2937
Fax:	(021) 883-2232
Website:	www.museums.org.za/stellmus *
Enquiries to:	The Librarian
Hours of opening:	Mon-Fri 08h00-13h00, 14h00-16h30
Access:	The librarian is responsible for the handling of archival holdings. Only she may remove archival material from storage cabinets. She is allowed to make copies of required material for users, or, with permission, have it copied or photographed.

Acquisitions policy:The library specialises in collecting archival material which is connected with the history of Stellenbosch.

Areas of specialisation:Material that is connected with the history of Stellenbosch.

Core holdings:The archival collection consists of the following: Postcards, photographs (mainly old buildings), 17th and 18th century documents on microfiche, estate inventories, plans of buildings, topographical maps and town plans, documents. The document collection and photograph collection form the main part of the archival collection. The photograph collection and topographical maps as well as the town plans are frequently used.

Finding aids:Indexes on cards.

National register participation:No.

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Address:	Street: 23 Traub Street, Worcester, 6850 Postal: P.O. Box 557, Worcester, 6849
Telephone:	(023) 342 2225
Fax:	(023) 347 4134
Enquiries to:	The Librarian
Hours of opening:	Mon-Fri 09h00-16h30
Access:	Research library and archives: Open to the public, but no books or documents may be removed for any purpose. Documents may be photocopied at a cost of 30c per A4 sheet. Information can be faxed (max. 5 pages) at applicant’s own cost. No in depth research for the public is done by library staff.

Brief history:Documents and photographs were donated to Worcester Museum since books and information regarding Worcester and its surroundings.

Areas of specialisation:History of: Pioneer farmers and agricultural activities with special reference to Worcester. Worcester township. Worcester farming district. Worcester prominent people. Worcester families.

Core holdings:Worcester Standard and Advertiser – local newspaper since 1880. We have no major collections. The documents consist of bits and pieces of the history of Worcester and its people since the 1700′s.

Finding aids:Documents: Catalogued alphabetically and chronologically.Photographs: Catalogued alphabetically and chronologically. Books: Dewey system and card index. Magazines: Card index according to subjects.

National register participation:NAREM and NAREF.

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A private dwelling, built in 1797 by Antonie Fick, the grandson of a German immigrant, it is a good example of the famous Cape Dutch style of architecture, which experts have described as the most lyrical architectural style in the world. The South African artist, J H Pierneef, described its gable as one of the most beautiful in the Cape.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

In 1804 the District of Tulbagh was established and the Drostdy, designed by renowned architect Louis Michael Thibault, was officially opened towards the end of 1806Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

This living open air museum portrays the life style of the early pioneer farmers. Each building is representative of a certain agricultural industry in the Western Cape during the period 1690 to 1900.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

A U-shaped Cape Dutch house, which dates back to the 18th centuryPowered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5

This comprises four lovingly restored historic homes which you can view at your leisure, Schreuderhuis, Blettermanhuis, OM Berghs House and the elegant Grosvenor House.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5