Kameel Huise Tussen Spore : Harrismith and Stuart Street

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Harrismith and Stuart Street

Stuart Street Harrismith as Autumn sets in

We are part of the street as much as we are part of the town.

Our house address is 17A Stuart Street.

You will find it in the little orange block right on the right-hand side.

De Oude Huize Yard was built in 1860!

First Title Deed of De Oude Huize Yard

The name Stuart relates to two possibilities.

*Major Warden named all his children after the Royal house of Stuart. Rumours were that he was an unofficial grandson of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

* Stuart Jacobus, 1803 – 1878, author, diplomatic agent and advocate of emigration, took part in the Sand River Convention in 1852.

Stuart Street in 1904 with a Rickshaw left wide sidewalk right and a railway line. Horses pulled the wagons (or coco-pans “coco pans”).

After the Boer War in 1904, the British had a huge camp on Kings Hill. Here they broke many stones, cut and trimmed it to be used for building purposes. To get these stones in the town a track was laid from Kings Hill to the town. Some of these stones were used when the Townhall was built. This information probably also explains the existence of many houses and buildings in Stuart St, which were built of stone. There were also traces of the track in Vowe and Bester streets.


The first public building in Harrismith was the Courthouse, serving the community as a venue for the school, public meetings, bazaars and entertainments. All church services were held in the Courthouse until 1879 when the first church, the Dutch Reformed Church, was built on the site of the present Moederkerk. (Hawkins 1982)

Stuart street on a peaceful Sunday morning. The traffic light is situated on the corner of Stuart and Piet Retief Streets

The early magistrates were Bester, Chauvin, Theron, D Cloete, J De Kock, Bramley, (that was accused of high treason), Canisius, J N Boshoff, J Z de Villiers, F W van der Riet, Charles Warden. (Steytler 1932)

Mr Joseph De Kock resides at De Oude Huize Yard from 23 July 1861 till 23 April 1903 almost 42 years.

The corner of Stuart and Retief streets. The Court House on the Left. The trees planted in a square at the foot of Platberg were planted by the “konsentrasiekampkinders” and the indication where the Concentration camp was. The people of the Camp were then transferred to “Tin Town” in Ladysmith

Corner of Stuart and Piet Retief streets today. The Court House made room for the new Post Office. The trees have grown and where the Concentration Camp used to be is now the town goal.

Concentration Camp at the foot of Platberg

An almost mad Kitchener was tormented by the Concentration Camp women and children when they did not show respect when the funeral procession of Dr Godfrey Reid pass them. Instead, a hissing sound was made. Reid was killed during the Groenkop battle on Christmas day.

The women and children were then moved to “Tin Town” close to Ladysmith. Some were transported in open train carriages and the lucky ones in a proper passenger car.

This picture was taken on the morning of 8 August 1900. A very interesting photo with a significant history. On this morning more than 200 burgers of the Harrismith Commando came into town by horse, by “kapkar” and even Spiders. They were ready to hand in their weapons and take the consequences. In front of the Court House, the Boer’s were ready to sign the neutralizing document. The horses were tied to the railings. The name hendsoppers was given to the Commando members. Some came to town in their best Sunday outfits and hard hats while some came in worn-out clothes. One of them was the Member of Parlement – Commandant Piet Maree.

The guns that were handed in was demolished and was loaded onto a “bok”. There it was transported to the courtyard of the Court House. Here the 5th Coy Royal Engineers destroyed the weapons with a 16 pond-hammer on an anvil and hit to pieces.

The house on the left was the home of the Sieberts-family on the corner of Stuart and Mauritz streets. The building on the right was a private school.