Stellenbosch Village Museum

hello dear friends,
here another exciting day i spent at this lovely museum..we had so much fun..
this village is consist of 4 old houses..and each house is restored and furnished in the style of its own particular time and period..the visitor can walked from one period house to the next and see how furniture,design,fashions,in fact,domestic taste in general changed over the years.
1--- SCHREUDERHUIS (1709)
The first house the museum has restored is the Schreuderhuis. This home was built in 1709, and it survived the first great fire in Stellenbosch, Schreuderhuis is the oldest restored and documented town house in the whole of south africa. The interior furnishing and the garden are typical of a Stellenbosch home from the period of 1690 - 1720, in true pioneer spirit much of the furniture was made from locally available materials.
The strings of onions, herbs and salted fish hanging from the rafters, the open hearth in the kitchen and the primitive Cape furniture lend a special charm to this dwelling. You will notice that there is sharp contrast to the handsome appointments of later, more opulent homes. In true pioneer spirit much of the furniture was made from locally available materials.

                                                 front of the first house..

                                                        inside the house...

                                                          bed room...

                                                        another bedroom...
2---BLETTERMANHUIS(1789)
The second home in our Museum complex is Blettermanhuis, has been restored and furnished to illustrate a wealthy Stellenbosch home from around the period of 1750 - 1780. Blettermanhuis was built in 1789 by Hendrik Lodewyk Bletterman, who was the last landdrost (magistrate) of Stellenbosch to be appointed by the Dutch East India Company.
This house is built in the typical 18 th Century Cape style, with 6 gables in an H shaped ground plan. The daughter Maria Magdelana, later married Christian Ludolph Neethling who built another of the houses in the Village Museum complex, Grosvenor House.

                                                              children or guest bedroom..

                                                        lady..wife.. bedroom..

                                                    same bedroom left side...

                                                          mr husband...bedroom..
husband and wife have sperate bedroom..

   

                                                               side of the kitchen...
3----GROSVENOR HOUSE (1803)

Originally built by Christian Ludolph Neethling in 1782, Grosvenor House was added to by successive owners until it reached its present appearance in 1803. Grosvenor House, along with Koopmans de Wet House and the Martin Melck House in cape town , is one of the most outstanding examples of a two-storeyed, flat-roofed patrician town house, of which there was a considerable amount in Stellenbosch as well as in cape twon.
A large garden and early 19th century appointments characterise this home, which represents the period from 1800 to 1830.

                                                           first upright piano..

                                                           dining room..

                                                          bedroom..

 another bed room....look at the beautiful lace work at the top of the bed and stunning warm quilt..

                                              and kitchen..a bit modern from the last two houses..

                                                        outside the house..beautiful garden..
4--- THE HOME OF OM BERGH (1850)
The fourth house, which was the home of O.M Bergh, originally had a thatched roof and gables similar to those of Blettermanhuis. During the 19 th Century it was altered to look as it does to this day. The home of OM Bergh is a typical mid-nineteenth century home with wall-paper, furniture and accessories from the period of 1840 to 1870. Olof Marthinus Bergh and his family lived in this house from 1836 up to 1877.

                                                     lovely sitting room with beautiful piano..

                                                               it is a long passage..

                                                        study room..

                                                       bed room..

        children bedroom with toys..they have 11 kids :)

and something very interesting..this is the first bathroom and first shower..

                                                   modern kitchen..

                                                           dining room..
it was truly a wonderful tour  around the lovely village and looking at these lovely period of time..i dont wanted to leave this lovely village..
i hope you will enjoy this lovely tour too..
big hugs
cucki xx

   cucki outside the fourth house with the lady who dressed up in that olden time of clothes.