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Momento's of Africa |
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Fairhavens Illustrations and Descriptions |
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The Xhosa Hut is one of the simpler structures and was developed in sparsely wooded areas, and is therefore constructed principally of mud brick. This is then plastered with mud, the whole being thatched with a conical roof. Both the building and the decoration was traditionally the responsibility of women. Old habits die hard, and today many huts are built to this pattern even if they have cement block wall and corrugated iron roofs! F001 |
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| Zulu Kraal:
The Zulu nation - as all Inguni people - drew its wealth from its cattle
herds. The central feature in all kraals, from the king down, was
the cattle kraal. The huts were constructed of reeds tied onto a
framework of sticks, with intricate patterns woven in. The floor
would be of dung mixed with cows blood, which can be brought to a bright
shiny polish. Although the materials used were local, today difficulties in obtaining reeds, and the time of construction has meant that the bee-hive huts are no longer common, and the Xhosa pattern has grown in popularity. F003 |
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The Settler's Cottage
is obviously European in style. The term "settler" in S. Africa
usually means those of British descent who arrived from 1820 onwards in
the Eastern Cape. Many were Scottish, and their cottages are
similar to those still found in Highland villages, but the materials
changed. Gone are the slates and granites, rough stone with
plaster over. The warmer climate dictated the reflective white, as well as the colourful plant life. F005 |
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The Fisherman's Cottage is built of large stones and is found on the shores of the Western Cape. A basic shelter from the cold and rain, its principal feature was the chimney. The roof could thatched, or was often turf, as found in Ireland. Today these buildings are often prized holiday homes. F006 |
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Bradshaw's Mill was the first textile mill in South Africa and was powered by water. It had a checkered history, being burnt down by Xhosa warriors at the times of The Frontier Wars, it was rebuilt only to fall into disrepair during the 20th century. It has been fully restored and can be found near Bathhurst in the E Cape. F008 |
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Probably considered the most distinctive of all South Africa's architectural types, The Cape Dutch House owes its origins to the wealthy burgers of Holland. Local conditions meant that whilst utilising the large gable ends, the homes were single storey, and less sophisticated. The indigenous woods of South Africa - such as Yellow-wood - were extensively used: today the cost would be prohibitive. Although historically found in the Western Cape, replicas are found throughout the country. Many houses, especially vineyards have been renovated and may be visited.F009 |
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Kapstylhuis
were the early shelters for shepherds and stockmen, as well as
the delicate animals. Two panels of interwoven twigs, clad in
grass and rushes, would be made, and then leant together in a tent-like
form. Usually these would only last a season and be rebuilt when
required, but some reached considerable size and still exist - if
unused. F012 |
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| No.7
Castle Hill is a museum in Port Elizabeth, and was believed
to be the city's oldest remaining house - one actually predates it.
Housing a collection of clothing and artifacts from the mid 1800s it is
a fine example of a Settler House, built in urban area.
Again the Scottish influence can be seen.
F013 |
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The
Ndebele House would be found to the North of Pretoria,
where the Southern Ndebele (or Matabele) have settled. An offshoot
of the Zulu people their art has developed along different lines and is
now known and prized world-wide. It is the decoration that makes
them so special, and these are comparatively modern in influence drawing
from things found in daily life, including TV sets and airplanes!
Many years ago, geometric designs in ocres would have been produced, but
today the Ndebele have grasped new materials and conventional paint
used. F014 |
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| Two forms of
Venda Village exist in our range (the other is the
Village under the Hill) Built in the hilly areas around the
northern end of the Kruger Park, the huts are close together for
defensive purposes, and the sites are elevated. As water and wood
had to be carried up to the dwellings paths and steps were established. F016 |
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Whilst the individual
Venda Hut appears at first glance to be
like the Xhosa to the south, it does possess distinctive features.
The steps and stony site indicate the nature of the terrain, whilst the
overhand of the hut roof, supported by timbers provides necessary shade
in these tropical zones.
F016 |
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| The Sotho Hut
depicted here is an all grass and wood affair. This style is found
in the lower rainfall areas. The dominant doorway is a feature of
Lesotho homes found on many types of hut construction.
F017 |
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One of our most popular pieces, the
Double Xhosa Huts show
the way that many of these huts nestle together on the rolling hillsides
of the Eastern Cape. The Xhosa people, whilst amongst the first of
S African indigenous people to be urbanised, still occupy large areas of
the Cape in a traditional manner. Unlike the Zulus, their
homesteads are dotted around, not concentrated into kraals. This,
in part, is probably due to their living on poorer grazing grounds than
Natal, and therefore needing to spread out to feed their herds. F018 |
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| At first sight the
Zulu Beehive Hut makes a
rather dull model, having little colour, for it is made from woven
grasses and reeds. On closer inspection the detail of the weaving
and the patterns created can be seen. The floor of polished
cow-dung and blood, has a framewo4rk of branches over it. Inside
there will be a solid bench and a hearth. the Zulus had
little in the way of furnishings, with their care and pride being
reserved for their cattle - and their warrior prowess. F019 |
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The
Cola-can House is an unusual creation of the people of
Botswana from the Okavango Delta, and Maun. Consisting largely of the
Kalahari Desert, the country has little to offer in the way of building
materials. Beer and cool drinks were (1980s and 90s) sold only in
cans, and cairns made of cans can be found and used as direction
finders. These cans were used as bricks, and cemented together
with mud. The very dry area meant that thermal insulation was more
important than water proofing. One hut is shown is partial
construction, whilst the other has been mud-plastered and painted. F020 This model is out of production |
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| Although a small country, Lesotho is the
highest in the world. The
Lesotho Rondavel is just one of the many types of house
that has been established. The Sotho people have had to travel to
South African cities and mines to find work, and have acquired new
practices from their contacts. the Xhosa influence is clearly
visible. The Mohair goat is a reminder of the importance of this
fibre to the country. F021 |
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Hamilton
House will be better known to most as David Livingstone's
House in Kuruman, at the Moffatt mission (Miss Moffatt became his wife)
Livingstone set off on many of his travels from here. His
first exploits were not too far away as he headed North into what is now
Botswana. The construction of his house owes more to Moffatt who not only built a church, but produced the first Bible in a S. African language. F022 |
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The Nama people are the direct descendants of the Khoi and San people who lived in S Africa before the arrival of Inguni (black) people and the European. At one time referred to as Hottentots, many died from European diseases, but isolated pockets survived. Today these Nama huts are used by the pastoralists practising trans-humans grazing. The frameworks are left in situ when the flocks move on, with the reed mats being carried to the next site. In days gone by animal skins would have covered the framework. F023 |
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Olive Schreiner was one of several literary talents to come from the quiet and isolation of the Karoo. Her home, represented here, is now a museum. It is situated in Craddock, and provides an interesting diversion even for those not historically inclined. F024 |
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This was a much asked for model, representing the types of home found at Cape Agullus, the southernmost tip of Africa. Usually the homes of anglers from the cities, some are still retained as true homes of local fishermen, wresting a living where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The town of Arniston is famous for this style of home, and is a regular tourist destination. F040 |
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The Doornhoek is one of the original farmhouses whose land created the Mountain Zebra National Park. A Victorian house, it is now available to overnight parties staying at the reserve and has many Victorian artifacts in use. Situated over a dam, where animals come to drink, this house was renovated for use in the film made of Olive Schreiner's book, The Little Farm on the Karoo. F041 |
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John Cecil Rhodes enjoys a "mixed
press". Arch capitalist and colonialist, Anglophile
extrordinaire, benefactor of education, creator of nations and destroyer
of others, we suspect it depends on where you view him from. What is a fact is that he was considered the richest man in the world in his day and that he had great visions of making much of Africa a British sphere of influence. His Cottage in Cape Town was his home whilst Prime-minister of the Cape, yet another achievement in a remarkable lifetime. Rhodes' Cottage F042 |
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The Table Mountain Cafe has changed considerably as more people take the trip to the top of Table Mountain, one of the most popular of Cape Town's attractions. Our model shows the restaurant as it was before expansion, and visitors will still recognise the front of the current building. F043 |
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Belvedere was the home of one of South Africa's enigmas - George Rex. A distinguished gentleman from England, he was believed by many to be the illegitimate son of King George, although he never made this claim himself. He rapidly became an arbiter of fashion in the colony, and his style - and parties - were much admired by local society. Belvedere Church was built by him and remains in use and is a delightful small building. F044 |
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The Shona people constitute the major tribal group of Zimbabwe (the Matebele or Ndebele being the other). Their homes are found in the eastern half of the country, including the Eastern Highlands, one of the most picturesque regions of Africa. F045 |
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This pairing of Lesotho Stone Huts has the distinctive doorways of that country. This type of construction is found in the central region, with its low winter temperatures and higher rainfall. Several large stones are incorporated, but as these are in short supply smaller stones are retained between two frameworks of small sticks, giving both stability and durability to these homes. F046 |
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The Corbel House
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Found dotted around the semi-desert The Karoo Farmstead could well be the dwelling of a farm of hundreds of thousands of acres. The water-tank is the key to success in raising the sheep and goats that brought wealth to the Karoo. The vast areas involved required a people who could handle isolation and be self sufficient, but they still enjoyed the finer things of life, and the standard of workmanship on many of these houses is high - a considerable achievement when everything was either local, or shipped in on bullock carts over hundreds of miles. F048 |
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Many towns in South Africa boast "The Royal Hotel" This one is based on the old miners' hotel at Pilgrim's Rest. Part of the early gold rush when nuggets could be panned out of streams, buildings were rapidly erected from corrugated iron. When the gold ran out, Pilgrim's Rest declined. Today this small town has been carefully restored and is a regular visit for the tourist. The gold that has sustained South Africa is principally from very deep mines and involves incredible investment, not the efforts of pan-handlers! F050 |
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| has
an interesting company history. It is a more dramatic version of
our Venda village (F015) and was originally created as a test piece for
an exhibition, with no intent of including it in our range. It is
more rugged and heavier than the original, but proved so popular that we
had to continue producing it. This is why it has an out of
sequence number!
The details of the village are the same as for F015 F101 |
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