Page 37 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

A POR TR AIT OF SOUTH AFRIC A  35

Cape Dutch Architecture
The vernacular of the Western Cape, recognized by its symmetrical
design and prominent gables, evolved around the mid-18th century
from a simple row of thatched rooms whose sizes depended on the
length of the available beams. The forms of the gables were derived
from the Baroque architecture of Holland. End gables prevented the
roof from being torn off by high winds, while the centre gable let
light into the attic. Gable of Franschhoek Town Hall
Thatching reed was widely The front gable Stable-type door
available in the vleis (swamps).
Sash windows had many
small panes, and only the
lower half could be opened.
Rhone, near Fransch-
hoek, is a good example
of an 18th-century home-
stead. The front gable
dates back to 1795.
Georgian Architecture
Modest examples of 18th-century The neighbourhood of Artificers’
Georgian-style architecture, with Square in Grahamstown also has
plain front pediments and flat roofs, fine examples. Here, the houses
survive along the narrow, cobbled display typical many-paned, slid ing
streets of Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, or sash windows, plain parapets and
“Malay Quarter”. a fanlight above the entrance.
The roof is protected by slate tiles.
The chimney was designed Geometric brick detail
to complement the house.
Louvre shutters reduce
the harsh glare of the sun.
Bertram House,
completed in Precise brick-laying
1839, is Cape adds attractive detail.
Town’s only
surviving brick The wind lobby
Georgian house. excludes draughts.
Victorian Architecture
The romantic Victorian style with its decorative cast-iron detail, brass
fittings and stained-glass windows became extremely popular,
especially in Cape Town, around the turn of the 19th century. Here,
too, terrace housing, pioneered in 18th-century England by the
Adam Brothers, provided affordable housing for a burgeoning
middle class. Fine examples may be seen in suburbs such as
Woodstock, Observatory, Mowbray and Wynberg. Broekie lace detail, Prince Albert
Ornamental gable
Cast-iron decorations were
called broekie lace, because A corrugated
they resembled the lacy edging iron awning
of ladies’ undergarments. covers the
verandah.
Oom Samie se Winkel (see
p196), in Stellenbosch, displays Cast-iron
a marked Cape Dutch influ- supports
ence. The porch encouraged hold up the
the store’s patrons to linger. awning.

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