Kameel Stoepstorie: Van Riebeeck Chairs

The old chairs and the reason for the name

Van Riebeeck chairs are not a brand or style it merely forms part of modern history in South Africa.  

Well in short Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town. On 24 December 1651, accompanied by his wife Maria de la Quiellerie, Jan van Riebeeck set off from Texel in The Netherlands for the Cape of Good Hope. 

He was to oversee the setting up of a refreshment station to supply Dutch ships on their way to the East. Sailing on the Dromedaris with two other ships, the Rejiger and De Goede Hoop, Van Riebeeck was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women. 

Land was sighted on 5 April 1652 and the ships docked the next day. 

Their son Abraham was born on October 18, 1653, Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town

We found a beautiful piece of cloth that was printed with the Van Riebeeck story.
Hence the name of these 4 dining chairs as Van Riebeeck chairs. 

First we had to strip it down and give the wood a good treatment of oil.
This was a timeous process and we used mainly fine sandpaper and steel wool 

This was the first time we did this kind of upholstery
We must admit that we had to redo the first chair because the back was upside down.  

The first chair seat is done 

The first chair is finished 

Even the back section is showing in the right direction 

Done for the time 

Lots of blessing from South Africa 

Sandra and Hennie 

Kameel Stoepstorie: My Antique Fairy

This post was written by Lieschen Fincham. 

Lieschen is a young and independent woman who loves adventure and art but see herself as stubborn.  

She grew up in Bloemfontein which is the Legislative capital of  South Africa and situated in the Free State. 

Matriculated at Eunice High 

Currently studies at Un iversity of the Free State B.Com (Acc) 

When you grow up in a modern world, the sentiment of antiques sometimes boggles the mind. 

Why would anyone want to keep a broken chair or their great grandmother’s bathing suit? My aunt, the antique lady, made me see the beauty in all of it like she was some kind of fairy. 

To her every piece was unique and had its own story. No longer was the broken chair, just a chair and no longer was the bathing suit just that. It became fairy tales of ancestors I wished I had met, in whom I found some resemblance and some longing too. It became stories of road trips and laughter that you don’t see anymore, in this fast-paced life we live in.

The antiques came alive. They each danced to their own beat and told their own story. No wonder my antique fairy didn’t just place the pieces in some box that took up storage space in an old abandoned room. She took her time to carefully display each piece, like one would a photograph of a happy memory. Just like the photograph, each piece represents a unique person, even if long forgotten by many, the fairy places them where their magic won’t fade and disappear.

If the antiques get a little worn down and tired, she transforms them. Almost like Cinderella was transformed, only this fairy permanently transforms them. She gives them a new purpose and makes them feel brand new, like they have another chance at creating new stories. De Oude Huize is full of both new and old antiques that are eager to tell you their story.

Its easy to write about a place and what it offers, but its quite often forgotten that sometimes it’s the people that make the place so great. The people too often hidden behind the scenes making it great, are the true heart of a place.

I guess in some way my antique fairy could be seen as an antique herself, she’s not old, but she is rare and beautifully crafted. She tells a beautiful story and has a heart of gold to match. De Oude Huize is lucky to have her as its antique fairy, but so am I, to have her as my aunt.

Lots of love to 
De Oude Huize.

Lieschen

A family where the world is but a canvas to their imagination.

DeOudeHuize

We pay a visit to an amazing family residing in Harrismith. 

The purpose of art is washing the dust 

of daily life off our souls.

Pablo Picasso

As shared by the hosts of De Oude Huize Yard

The first impressions. Beauty is the mystery of life.
It is not in the eye it is in the mind.
In our minds there is awareness of perfection.
Agnes Martin

Just want to stay right here.
Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.
Jonathan Swift

Then this inviting area catch the eye.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.
Art is knowing which ones to keep.
Scott Adams

The bunny on the neatly cut pillar calls to explore.
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
Aristotle

The darling metal hens change the ordinary into extra special.
An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.
James Whistler

The wonderful wide passage welcomes you when opening the front door.
The children do home schooling and the old church bench forms part of the library.
You will find 800 literature here.  

The Literature library 

Oliver busy doing a project.
Please note the holiday project. The old holiday essay of days gone by, bound in a
keepsake book. 

Total dedication and Shakespeare is smiling at you.
Art is Art.
Everything else is everything else.

Have you spotted Vivaldi, Handel and Bach.

Learning the Old Testament with the use of their art skills
Elijah taken to heaven; Hanna, Samuel and Eli; Joseph and his brothers.
Drawing is the honesty of the art
There is no possibility of cheating 
Salvador Dali 

Chloè's room the story of the Mayflowers unfolds. Born in July when Winter is at its best.
The only flowers blooming in the garden was the Mayflower.
Every year a new bunch of Mayflowers is put in the vase and it stays for the year.
Happy young adulthood!

Adam's studio is filled with his artwork but also memorabilia of his parents. 

A picture is a poem without words 
Horace

A very special kitchen where family and friends meet.
Georgia, so cute standing in front 

A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind 
Eugene Ionesco 

Sophia's art studio is a special place to be.

  

Adam, Sophia, Chloè, Georgia and Oliver it's  a privilege to spend time with you.

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, 
from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.
Pablo Picasso

Hope that you will fall in love with this very special 
South African family as we did 

Lots of Love 
Sandra 

Thank you for all the wonderful friends whom are sharing this story!!!

A Stroll Thru Life; A delightsome life; Craft Berry Bush; Crafty Allie; 

Create with Joy; China on a shoestring; Confessions of a Plate Addict; Elizabeth & Co; 

Embracing Change;  Fishtail Cottage; Funky Junk; Have a Daily Cup; Ivy and Elephants; Katherines Corner; Knick of Time; Life on Lakeshore; My Romantic Home; 

My Salvaged Treasures; Miss Mustardseed; Rooted in thyme; Redoux Interiors; 
The Dedicated House; Shabby Art Style Sisters; Savvy Southern style; Sweet Bella Roos; 
The Shabby Nest; The Jenny Evolution; Too Much Time; 

An Old Country Hotel filled with history and interesting stories

DeOudeHuize

Our town, Harrismith, is filled with history and interesting stories.

Part 1
As told by the hosts of De Oude Huize Yard 

The old photo's of the hotels from a bygone era always fascinated me.  In short in the late 1800’s Harrismith boost 11 hotels.  These hotels were: 

The  Spillsburg, Jones, Dodds, Donaldson, Chancey, Imperial Royal (previously the Railway), Devonshire  Central and the Caskie later the Commercial and currently the Grand National but in a new building,

  

The beautiful old National Hotel
In March of 1880, a mysterious robbery took place in The Caskie Hotel. 
A certain gentleman by the name of R.J. Barns of the firm, Barns and Mcfie, 
dealers in livestock, spent a night at the hotel on his way to Bethlehem. 
On arrival he placed a chest containing 5000 pounds in gold in the bedroom. 
The following morning the money had disappeared! 
A reward of 300 pounds and later 1000 pounds was posted but no 
information was ever forthcoming. Barns summoned Caskie to Court and 
demanded “damages” be paid. He lost his case. The thief was never found and the money was never recovered.
Harrismith’s news correspondent at the time, reported in the Natal Witness that, 
“This being a border town, we get more than our share of deserters, runaways and loafers.” 
The outcome of all of this was a petition to the “Volksraad” and a request for more policemen.

The Grand National is the last hotel that survived.

Originally built with 8 rooms upstairs  with only a basin in each room.

 Downstairs one would find the dining room, kitchen,

pub and reception area and the manager’s office.

In 1896 ZA Breweries took over ownership and the name was changed to the Commercial Hotel. 

The name would change again in the 1920’s to The National Hotel 

and again in the 1940’s to The Grand National Hotel. In 1961 the hotel was bought by John and Phyl Annandale.

A fire destroyed a section of the old hotel and it had to be rebuilt.  

It was then when modernization also had a huge effect on the old / new hotel.  

The "Grand" as it now looks 

"Big John" Annandale in the Assegaai pub and the photo was taken in 1962. 
The beautiful bar counter polished to a special shine. The pub was then known as the ladies bar. 
The Grand was bought by John and Phyl Annandale in 1961 bring about the first change of ownership 
since the hotel has been bought by the ZA Breweries in 1896. 
The hotel was built by mr Caskie in 1876 and the name was changed to the 
Commercial Hotel in 1896. 
Again the name was changed to the National Hotel in the 1920’s and in the 1940’s it was
changed to the Grand National Hotel. 

Mr. Annandale had hit a novel idea to raise money for charity. 
The walls of the bar are lined with tiles which were “sold” to customers whose name 
painted on the tiles by an artist. 
Every one that made a donation of R1 or more names was painted in gold on the face of one 
of the tiles which made an eye-catching recorded of a generous act. 
The funds were donated to the retirement home for those old people of Harrismith 
who need and perhaps, will need help, to live out their lives without too much suffering
and with all the comfort.
The cheque that was handed over was for the amount of R1010. 

The old room key and message holder

As history proved the Grand belonged to the ZA Breweries and beer was the main ingredient 
to fill lives with joy. According to legend the wagon with the beer barrels would park
in Warden Street and then the barrels were rolled into cellar situated underneath the 
pub via a shoot. 
This is the trap door through which the beer barrels were then hoisted into the pub. 
Was this be the old beer wagon 

The section marked was the old wagon and cart parking area.
In modern days this area was converted into a pub

Close-up of some of the trophies 

Trophies eared during dart competitions

The old wooden ice boxes 

Lots of blessing from South Africa 

Sandra 

Thanks to Biebie de Vos for his help with photo's and information

Stained glass and details of The Town Hall of Harrismith

This history of the Town Hall 

Beautiful gates stands guard to the entrance

The corner stone inscription 

The commemoration of the opening by Sir Goold-Adams

The Town Hall is a classified National Monument 

Lets take the stair . . . .

To the right you will find this beautiful banquet hall.  

Two of these fireplaces support the heating system.  

These beautiful friezed are on the balcony walls.  The top is upholstered in leather.  

The frieze above the stage.  

A harvest time frieze 

The kitchen is equipped with this beautiful double basin

Some of the beautiful push plates 

The bathroom basin 

The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings. Traditionally it is made in flat panels and used as windows.

To assemble the window, pieces of colored and painted glass are laid out on the design board, with the edges of each piece fitted into H-shaped strips of lead (cames). These cames are soldered to one another so that the panel is secure. When a panel is completed, putty is inserted between the glass and the lead cames for waterproofing. The entire composition is then stabilized with an iron frame (armature) and mounted in the window.

Now lets take a look at the stained glass windows and doors.  

.  

Beautiful doors with rich history of our town and the United Kingdom 

A beautiful dome in the Town Hall 

My personal favourite 

The top section of the window above 

Another close-up of a section in the window 

The rose and Lions of England
The Fleur and Dragons of Wales 

The Thistles of Scotland
The Clovers and Harp of Northern Ireland.  

Steep staircase leading to clock tower

Little window on the way to the clock tower 

A monument across the road of a Boer 

Taking while standing on the balcony 

Going down 

Down stairs doors and the beautiful beveled glass doors.  

Lots of blessing from South Africa 

Sandra