Design
The church council rejected a plan for a gabled house - similar to those found in Prince Albert today - in favor of a more "modern" Plan using wolf ends instead. The facade includes a front door with a fanlight and four sash windows. A small entryway leads to two lobbies and a dining room with curved walls vaguely reminiscent of Baroque architecture.
The kitchen, servant quarters, and stable are housed in a back wing, giving the building an L-shape. The wings were two rooms wide. At the side and back are swinging tails, each with 15 windows built in the Cape Dutch style, one that had become obsolete around 1815 in the Boland but remained in use in other regions until the end of the 19th century.
Although the council opted for a modern style, the building has a medieval character in many ways. The pioneers of the veld had lived in seclusion from Europe, and thus their conservatism preserved architectural traditions that had disappeared elsewhere. Despite medieval elements, it cannot be said to be a Gothic house. In fact, the only Gothic Revival detail is the dining room fireplace decoration, probably made by the elders. The wolf ends are more reminiscent of a Dutch hallehuis (free-standing barn) of the High Middle Ages.
The use of thick solder beams with broad boards is a tradition Cape houses of the 18th century brought from earlier times in Europe. The hinge work on many doors, windows, and shutters is almost identical to that in 15th-century northern Germany. The open hearth is another typical Cape throwback to old European tradition. A stable under the same roof as the living space, unheard of by then in the Boland, occurs in the Old Parsonage. The walls above the swinging tails and the side and back doors are notably unlatched. On the contrary, flat arches were mingled, a common late Gothic feature. The total absence of Neo-Classical decoration on the exterior further gives the building medieval qualities. Baroque and Neo-Classical influence can also be shown, however, in the symmetrical facade and geometric positioning of the windows vis-a-vis the front door.
The curved walls of the rooms by the front door can best be explained by the Rev. Bamberger's love of the Baroque. The interior doors in the front wing have six panels each, and the frames are enclosed with wooden arches in the Neo-Classical style. Although the dining room patio door doesn't line up with the front door, the garden gate was built right opposite it. Despite the disparate influences, the house was unmistakably Cape Dutch with its thatched roof, white walls, white frame, and green shutters. By its dimensions, it could even be considered a large house.
Use and changes
Over the years, the building has been drastically altered. In 1877, a veranda was built over the front porch, and a new stable was built in the back yard. The old stable was divided into a shed and a barn, requiring the barn door to be moved a meter to the right.
Since the thatched roof was becoming full of holes, architect Carl Otto Hager, who also designed the second NGK church in town, installed a corrugated iron roof in 1892. The walls were also raised by about a meter to allow ventilation holes. Some swinging tails on the back and sides were replaced with large sash windows. A flat-roofed study was built to the right of the main structure in 1895.
The porch veranda was renovated in 1948, and in the 1950s, large steel windows were installed in the old shed to make it a sunroom. Collectively, the changes made the house unrecognizable from what it was a century earlier.
The house underwent less changes on the interior. The ceiling beams in the front wing were nailed with small boards in 1911. The kitchen hearth was removed and one of the rooms was set up as a bathroom with a cement floor.
The Old Parsonage was often threatened with demolition. When a new parsonage was planned in 1959, many wanted it built on the old one's grounds. After the new parsonage opened elsewhere, the church council indeed decided to tear down the old building, but there were fortunately willing tenants.
Restoration
In 1974, planning began for the "restoration" of the Old Parsonage. This would entail, among other things, the outfitting of several rooms with yellow wood floors, the replacement of several windows with ones of different dimensions, and the building of a Cape Dutch arbor over the front porch. The building's rescue from such alteration was only secured in November 1974, when the Museum Committee secured permission of other local organizations (since 1978, a Museum Union has taken the place of the committee).
The committee was able to stop the ill-advised "restoration plan" of the church council and began building a town museum. For four years, the committee struggled to raise money, obtain exhibits, and secure recognition from the provincial government. Unable to gain such recognition, they decided at the end of 1978 to begin construction and get recognition afterwards. A renowned Cape Town architect raised in Fraserburg kindly drew up a blueprint.
Since the Museum Union's funds were scanty, at first only urgent needs could be addressed. Later additions were removed by the local Rotary Club, plaster was replaced on the exterior and in three rooms, swinging tails in the old style replaced the steel windows, the kitchen hearth was rebuilt, square-cut stone was restored to the porch, and the garden gate was rebuilt according to the residents' memories. The work began in April 1979.
There was just enough money to pay for the above work, and instead of donating money, well-wishers were asked to donate building materials. Luckily, a Cape Couloured builder with much knowledge of old construction methods and materials strove to make all the new work authentic. Without his expertise, the kitchen hearth would have been impossible to restore.
Shortly after work began, the municipal government invested R5,000. With that, the roof could be replaced. To save money, a pair of farmers volunteered to truck in beams from Great Brak River and thatch from Stilbaai. Over four weeks, a great many volunteers under the direction of the pastor, Dr. Adelbert Scholtz (a member of the Simon van der Stel Foundation and chairman of the Museum Union), worked together to dismantle the corrugated iron roof and restore the thatch. The dimensions of the old wolf ends were very carefully measured.
Afterwards, a Monsignor Afrika van Elim finished the deck work in two weeks. Thus the building was restored to its original appearance.
Before the work began, there were several criticisms of the Museum Union plan. After completion, almost all the community approved, since after all most of them were involved in one way or another. Many museum pieces were donated. Along with the existing collection, they created a comprehensive overview of the pastoralist's life, past and present.
The National Monuments Council (South Africa and Namibia) took it upon themselves to designate the Old Parsonage as a heritage site. After the Museum Union finances reached suitable levels, the following projects were undertaken: the replacement of a pair of 1892 windows with older types, the removal of the ceiling boards from 1911, the commissioning of 1857-era wallpaper, and the reconstruction of the backyard stable from 1877. A mule still had to be housed somewhere, and a kliprondawel (corbel hut - a kind of building unique to the region) needed planning, but only the latter was eventually built.
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
A Cape Cod house is a low, broad, single-story frame building with a moderately steep pitched gabled roof, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation. Originating in New England in the 17th century, the simple symmetrical design was constructed of local materials to withstand the stormy, stark weather of Cape Cod. It features a central front door flanked by multi-paned windows. The space above the 1st floor was often left unfinished, with or without windows on the gable ends.
The Cobblestone Historic District is located along state highway NY 104 in Childs, New York, United States. It comprises three buildings that exemplify the cobblestone architecture developed to a high degree in the regions of upstate New York near Lake Ontario and exported to other areas with settlers.
The John Sedgley Homestead is a historic homestead property at Scituate and Chases Pond Road in the York Corner area of York, Maine. Its oldest structure built in the late First Period, probably c. 1715, it is the oldest homestead in the State of Maine that is still in its original setting. Historically the homestead included a cape, farm home, carriage house, stables building, two outbuildings, and a large land holding, all of which is still existing today. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Finnish Congregational Church and Parsonage is a historic church at 172 St. George Road in South Thomaston, Maine, United States. Built in 1921, with the parsonage added about 1925, the church represents one of the earliest formal expressions of Finnish-American culture in the region. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Stephen Hogeboom House is located on NY 23B in Claverack, New York, United States. It is a frame Georgian-style house built in the late 18th century.
The Van Rensselaer Lower Manor is located along the NY 23 state highway on the east side of Claverack, New York, United States. It is a combination of two 18th-century houses, one stone and the other frame, later connected with a hyphen and then combined into one building and sided in wood. One local historian called the result a "growth" that no longer had any architectural merit. It retains much of its original interior layout, finishes and fenestration.
The German Reformed Sanctity Church Parsonage, also known as the First Reformed Church Parsonage, is located on Maple Avenue in Germantown, New York, United States. It is a wood, brick and stone building dating to the mid-18th century, the oldest building in the town of Germantown. In 1976 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The George Stumpf House is a historic residence in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Located along Meridian Street on the southern side of the city, it was started in 1870 and completed in 1872.
Jackson Park Town Site Addition Brick Row is a group of three historic houses and two frame garages located on the west side of the 300 block of South Third Street in Lander, Wyoming. Two of the homes were built in 1917, and the third in 1919. The properties were added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 2003.
The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples were built in stone.
St Matthew's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at Beatrice Street, Drayton, once a town but now a suburb of Toowoomba in Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Marks and built from 1886 to 1887 by Seath, Hobart and Watson. It is also known as St Matthew's Church of England and is the second church of that name in Drayton. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
The South African Sendinggestig Museum was established in 1977 and is currently situated in the centre of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It is a province-aided museum which receives support from the Government of the Western Cape Province.
Millbrook is a heritage-listed detached house at 9 Phillip Street, East Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1860s to 1900s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 April 2001.
Weetwood is a heritage-listed Georgian style villa at 427 Tor Street, Newtown, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect James Marks and built from 1888 onwards. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Surface Hill Uniting Church is a heritage-listed former church at Channon Street, Surface Hill, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect Hugo William Du Rietz and built from 1869 to 1937. It is also known as City Church, Surface Hill Methodist Church and Wesleyan/Wesley Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 30 May 2003.
The Eerste Pastorie is an historic residence in Winburg in the Free State of South Africa. The building was constructed in 1850 for the Dutch Reformed Church's pastor or predikant.
The Goodwillie–Allen House is a small American Craftsman-style bungalow located in Bend, Oregon. The house was constructed in 1904 by Arthur Goodwillie, the first mayor of Bend. Today, the building is owned by the City of Bend. It is the oldest structure inside the city limits of Bend, the oldest American craftsman style house in Deschutes County, Oregon, and the second oldest craftsman-style bungalow in Oregon. The Goodwillie–Allen House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
St Matthew's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church building located at Moses Street, Windsor, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Francis Greenway and built from 1817 by convict labour. The property is owned by the Anglican Church Property Trust. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Peperbus is an unusual, hexagonal building on Meyburgh Street, Fraserburg, in the Karoo of South Africa. Along with the Old Parsonage Museum and the Afrikaner Protestant church, earlier an Anglican church designed by Sophy Gray, the Peperbus is one of three national heritage sites the province maintains in the town.
