Page 60 - Bulletin 21

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Restoring the windows was a labour of love – once again replacing only what needed to be

replaced to get them back to their former glory. (Figs 2.36 & 2.37.)

Of course, when working on an old building one has to be prepared for the unexpected. We

needed to repair a crack in an exterior wall. In the process the entire wall crumbled and
collapsed leaving us open-mouthed and with a pile of rubble. However, the skills of the

builder were such that today it is difficult to detect that under the plaster of one half of the

wall are modern bricks. (Fig. 2.38.) People are often curious about the foundations. The
house was built on and balances on very broad sandstone foundations. (Figs. 2.39 & 2.40.)

We used many of the old doors, but those that needed to be replaced were duplicated and
made with Iroko – a west African hardwood. Once the paint was removed the old doors told

stories. Back in the day the size of the planks used to make the doors were not uniform. So

when replicating our doors, we included this detail. (Figs. 2.41 & 2.42.)

To create the authentic feeling all strap hinges and all blacksmith work was duplicated. We
restored many of the original locks and also hunted high and low for replacements. (Figs 2.43

– 2.46.)

While renovating it was amazing to see that the walls consisted of all sorts of building

materials – wood, bricks, stones, mud, rocks – all seemingly haphazardly packed together.

(Fig. 2.47.)

Treasure

One of the most exciting things about the renovation was the treasure we found. Evidence of

real people and of their busy lives. Spoons, cartridges, nails, horse shoes, bottles, tooth
brushes, coins and leather from boots, and, of course, the unmistakable white and blue china

shards synonymous with Cape Dutch dining and cooking. (Figs. 2.48 & 2.49.)