Towerwater in the Winter of 1937

Towerwater aan de Breede Rivier - Winter 1937

Aerial photograph of the property in 1942

One Sunday morning Cathy, the curator at the museum in Bonnievale, dropped two historical photographs off on her way to church. The photos were of Bonnievale in the winter of 1937, a year before the centenary re-enactment of the Groot Trek (Great Trek) of 1838.

Bonnievale 1937

It was taken from the ‘Voortrekker uitspan’ (pioneer outspan) opposite our house. The photographs appear to be of preparations for the re-enactment of the Trek the following year.

The photographs depict the property during the ownership period of Daniel Hermanus Herculaas du Preez, who was the owner from 1928 until 1946. In 1946, the Olivier descendants of the family inherited the property, from whom we were later to buy.

The photograph shows a very agricultural orientated village. Bonnievale was declared a municipality in 1953. Electricity was supplied in 1951 and municipal water was made available in 1953. It is clearly Winter in the photograph with the poplar and fig trees completely leafless. This makes the buildings stand out in the rural landscape.

The canal is clearly only a ground furrow and was only concrete-lined in this section in 1956. At this date the canal provided the sole source of fairly reliable water supply for the valley until the availability of municipal water. The new church has not yet been built, but what is currently the church hall is visible to the back left. This building served as the church before the new church, for which building commenced in 1947. The school is seen on the centre right of the photo and the new primary school has not yet been built. The streets are still dirt roads as is the wagon road to Montagu running along the canal.

Main house 1937

The main house at Towerwater has lost its thatch roof to corrugated iron and the water tank has been built against the gable on the other side of the ‘bakoond’. The tank was built to collect the rainwater from the corrugated iron roof. The ‘bakoond’ that we restored is clearly visible against the external chimney breast. This detail dates the house to before wood and iron stoves confirming our history of the building.

The cottage 1937

The outbuildings 1937

The windows appear to be of the single casement type, in what is clearly the back of the house facing the canal. The front of the house looks out over the property down to the Breede River and is not visible from the angle of the photograph.  The altered cottage, animal stables and what looks like a triangular-style reeded chicken coop, is to the left.

Bonnievale 1942

The earliest aerial photograph is that of 1942, where the landscape we see on the 1937 photograph has changed with the addition of a few more buildings. Voortrekker/Church Street runs straight to the main street. The road to Montagu is still running along the canal and passes by the back of the house. In this photograph the dates 1838 – 1938, packed in stone and lime-washed, are clearly visible on the hill above the ‘uitspan’ opposite the house.

Bonnievale 1949

On the next aerial photograph, that of 1949, the road to Montagu now leads straight out of town and over the hill along the Harry Hill Road. Voortrekker Street now encircles the new church that has been built in the middle of it. The town has also lost its agricultural setting with more buildings being built. The new primary school is now clearly visible next to the high school.

Bonnievale 1960

On the aerial photograph of 1960 the streets looked tarred or cemented. The new church has been completed and the formal gardens have been laid out. The municipal buildings have now been built opposite the primary school.

The historical photographs are very important in research and receiving such a clear photo of the complete property was a really good find. Thanks to Cathy who is also busy researching and writing up some history of Bonnievale.

In 1937 Karen Blixen published one of my favourite books, “Out of Africa” and I understand her love of her farm in Africa. I love the way she describes it, "I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The Equator runs across these highlands, a hundred miles to the north, and the farm lay at an altitude of over six thousand feet. In the day-time you felt that you had got high up; near to the sun, but the early mornings and evenings were limpid and restful, and the nights were cold."

Her last sentence is reminiscent of our experience of Towerwater, where the day-time is hot, early mornings and evenings are limpid and restful, and the nights are cold.