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News and media releases: 2009
News and media releases: 2009
| Walk the ramparts of the Old Fort |
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| 03 March 2009 |
The replaced latticework, in steel for durability
Dating back to 1896, the ramparts were built when the original prison on the hill was converted into a fort by the Boers in the run-up to the Anglo Boer War of 1899 to 1902. The shrubs and trees growing on the ramparts have been removed, and the path around the four sandy mounds has been paved. A bridge has been built across the northwest corner, and a new steel stairway, with a facility for the disabled, has been positioned where the original stairway used to be. A series of tunnels running under the ramparts are almost restored, and are to be opened shortly, to be included in tours of Constitution Hill. At a cost of R1,4-million, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has overseen the restoration process, part of the broader restoration of the Old Fort, which totals R7,5-million. Originally a prisonThe Old Fort was originally a prison, built in 1893 by the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek president, Paul Kruger, just seven years after the gold town sprung up from the dusty veld. Three years later, in 1896, suspicious and uneasy with the prospecting uitlanders so close to his capital, Pretoria, he turned the prison into a fort, building four high ramparts around the buildings, giving him a good view of the goings-on in the burgeoning town.
The single replaced fireplace, almost complete, in wood and metal
The JDA is investigating the possibility of replacing the cannons with replicas or getting similar cannons from a museum in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, says Lebowa Letsoalo, the development manager at the agency. But it depends on getting more funding. In 1899, at the outbreak of the war, the Boers used the ramparts for vantage points, storing artillery in the storerooms built into its walls. In 1900, when the British took occupation of Johannesburg, the Boers handed over the keys to the Old Fort. Not a single shot had been fired from its ramparts. When the war ended in 1902, the Public Works Department took control of the building, planning to use it as a temporary jail while plans were made for the construction of a new jail. The new jail took a lot longer than anyone expected - 81 years later, in 1983, prisoners were moved to Diepkloof Prison, outside Soweto. Restoration of Governor's HouseSometimes a fire is not a bad thing, so long as no one gets injured. The fire at the Governor's House in February 2008 revealed to the restorers where the original windows and fireplaces were in the historic Edwardian house, used by the governor of the prison next door.Architect Nabeel Essa of Office Twentyfourseven says the restoration of the Governor's House had started in October 2007, with a detailed report on the condition of the house, as well as an indication of the extent of the restoration. At the time there were more than 50 squatters living in the house, in appalling conditions, says Essa. The JDA had started to relocate them, so most had already moved by the time of the fire. The fire destroyed the entire wooden floor, the wooden ceiling and the wooden latticework on the veranda. The restoration has just been completed, at a cost of R1,695-million. The floor has been replaced with Oregon pine obtained from demolished old houses, while the latticework has been replaced with steel, for easy maintenance. The wood slated ceiling has also been replaced, to resemble how it would have looked originally. The wooden windows were replaced with steel windows some time back, while some of the newer window spaces have been bricked up. The original window spaces were revealed when the plaster was chipped away. Wooden windows have replaced the steel windows. Every room in the house - three lounges, a dining room, five bedrooms - had a fireplace, says Essa, but he has restored only one, as a memory of what they looked like. The interior walls have been re-plastered and painted white, while the exterior walls are a rich terracotta and a restful shade of grey, perfectly complemented by a red corrugated iron roof. Several outside rooms have been restored, although Essa is not certain which rooms were part of the original house when it was built in 1908. He has been sensitive to the heritage value of the house, and has consulted with heritage consultant and architect Herbert Prins. The Recreation Centre, originally the officers' mess or club, just north of the house, has also been restored. Letsoalo says the City's department of community development is to take over the house and the recreation centre and use them for taking in street kids, and offering them and the immediate community workshop rooms, and life and computer skills courses. Future plansLetsoalo says there are great future possibilities for the Old Fort. A report, commissioned in 2007, talks of attracting tourists interested in military history and artefacts.So, if one of the Long Toms that were originally positioned on the ramparts could be traced - one exists in France - it would add considerably to the attraction of the Old Fort. When the cannons were in place they used to signal 1pm every day, when one of the cannons was fired. This would be a memorable tradition to re-establish. Having a changing of the guards ceremony at the entrance to the fort, to be used on special occasions, has been suggested in the report. This would go along with displays by military bands. An exhibition of military uniforms worn by the British and the Boers, as well as rifles and ammunition, would also be a major attraction. |
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The Johannesburg Development Agency, set up as a limited liability company, is an agency of the City of Johannesburg that stimulates and supports area-based economic development initiatives throughout the metropolitan area.