| | CONCISE HISTORY OF CLANWILLIAM Ten years after the arrival of the Settlers in Africa (1652), the first visitors arrived in Clanwilliam, but it was not until 1725 that people settled here permanently. The town was first known as Jan Disselsvalleij but was changed to Clanwilliam in 1814 by Sir John Cradock who named the town after his father-in-law, the Earl of Clanwilliam. Clanwilliam is one of the ten oldest towns in South Africa. |
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS The village and district have several attractive historical buildings, of which seven have been declared Historical Buildings prior to 1980. These include: the original farm house of Jan Disselsvalleij (2 Park Street), the Officers' Residence between 1808 and 1858 (5 Park Street), the Old Goal Building (Museum), the Flower Church (Old D.R. Church) as well as an 1820 Settlers house, situated behind the Criterion in the Main Road.
The Anglican Church dates back to 1867 and was designed by the well-known architect Sophie Grey. The bell, still in use today, was imported from England in 1875.
The Old Anglican Parsonage
The Old Dutch Reformed Church that was built in 1864 and is commonly known today as the 'Flower church' where the annual wild flower show is held.
The Old Goal is now used as a Museum. It was also used occasionally by the garrison during the Anglo Boer War. This building is almost 200 years old and is presently transformed to portray the history of the district. On display are articles that were in daily use in the home and on the farms during the 19 th century; also displays of the ancient people of the district - the Khoi-San; of local celebrities such as C.L. Leipoldt, dr P. le F. Nortier and Tolla van der Merwe, and of local industries such as shoe-making, Rooibos and cedar ood.
During flower season the Museum is open 7 days a week from 8:00 - 17:00. The rest of the year it is open Mon. till Fri. from 8:00 - 12:30. Entrance: Adults: R5, 00 children: R2,00
Also see "The Old Goal" below.
The First Magistrate's Office and dwellings were originally the first farm buildings and a house which belonged to one of the first Irish settlers.·
Leipoldt’s House is where the well-known poet Leipoldt grew up and received his early education.
The old Slave Bell. This bell was used up till about 1965. This bell was rung each day at 12 o' clock to call the prisoners who were hired out to work in gardens in the town, back for lunch. It was also a signal for lunch for the inhabitants of the town. The bell was also rung as a curfew at 10 p.m. each night.
St. John's Church was built in 1866. Some of the oldest graves are found here, some dating back to 1842, during the Anglo-Boer War. |
| HISTORICAL WALKABOUT A guided walk through the streets of Clanwilliam to view some of the historical buildings can be arranged. For enquiries contact Stephnie Murray +27 848 700 001. Stephnie is a SATOUR guide and conducts organised tours. |
| ARCHAEOLOGY Archeologists and paleontologists have also become increasingly fascinated by the well-preserved fossils, discovered by researchers working in the Cederberg mountains. |
| LEIPOLDT'S GRAVE 17 km outside Clanwilliam on the way to Wupperthal the road passes by the grave of Louis Leipoldt, well-known paediatrician, botanist, cook, and above all, poet... The scenery en-route is exceptional for its rock formations of the Cederberg; the famous "Soldaatkop" (Soldier's Head) is but one attraction. To reach Soldaatkop, first visit Leipoldt's grave and on the return journey to Clanwilliam, about 1,5 km from the grave take the gravel road to the left. The site is clearly signposted. Afterwards continue with this road to join the R364 again. |
THE OLD GOALDocumentary sources are scarce as a result of a fire on the 10th August 1901 when the Magistrate's Office, Post Office and library in Clanwilliam were destroyed.
The date 1808, which is seen on the front of the building, is the year in which an assistant magistrate from Tulbagh Landdros and Heemraad was appointed at Jan Dissels Valleij (renamed Clanwilliam in 1814) The first gaol was a small thatched outbuilding adjoining the Drostdy House; of the four rooms two were used as a prison. The gaol had no airing yard and in good weather the prisoners were handcuffed outside in the street "in order to preserve their health" and to allow the rooms to be aired. The first gaoler was appointed in 1827. In 1836, major repairs and additions were made to the "most ill constructed and incovenient prison in the colony". Repairs were again carried out in 1859 (eight pounds) and further repairs in 1862 (sixteen pounds).
In 1874 a plan for a new gaol was drawn and it was recommended that the site of the existing
building be used, with the building facing the Main Street. In March 1875, work was started and
finally completed in 1877 (three thousand eight hundred and fifty five pounds, nineteen shillings
and two pence). The front portion of the building housed the gaoler and his family and, at some
stage, an extra room was added to the building on the left of the front entrance. The date of this addition is not known, but after the room collapsed in 1996, a penny coin dated 1902 was discovered under the rubble. The gaol building was transferred from the government to Clanwilliam Municipality in 1996 and sold by them to the Clanwilliam Natuurbewarings- en Ontwikkelings-vereniging (Nature Conservation and Development Society) in 1977. Repairs and alterations were carried out by them. In 1979 it was declared a National Monument.
In 1987 a committee was appointed by the Natuurbewarings- en Ontwikkelingsvereniging to establish a local cultural and historical museum in the building, and a collection has slowly been built up on the foundation of a large number of items collected by Mr Reinhold Strassberger over the years, prior to the establishment of a museum.
By 1996 the room that had been added was seen to be sagging and cracking, and expert advisers
were called in to devise a scheme to secure the building. Whilst the workmen were carrying out
the plan the whole structure collapsed. The C. Louis Leipoldt collection and the P.le F. Nortier
collection had been housed in this room and a few items were lost, though miraculously much was
saved or could be repaired. The room was rebuilt and the collections housed elsewhere in the
museum.
The information given here was gained from various sources recorded by Mr W.P.L. van Zyl and information gathered by Mr David Worth at the request of the National Monuments Council in 1994. |
|
|
