Slave Lodge, Cape Town, South Africa
S 33° 55.499 E 018° 25.217
34H E 261528 N 6243164
The Slave Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town; it is open as a musuem.
Waymark Code: WMJ75P
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Date Posted: 10/05/2013
Views: 5
The building known as The Slave Lodge dates back to 1679 and is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town. It has been used for various functions over the years, including a government office building, the Old Supreme Court, lodging for slaves who worked Cape Town’s harbors and in the Company Gardens, and a cultural history museum.
The multistory building houses changing, temporary exhibits on the main floor, under the theme of human rights and the long history of slavery in South Africa. For a nominal fee, exhibit visitors can rent an audio-guided tour. This museum is often visited by school groups. The upper level of facility is also open to the public and features artifacts such as silverware, ceramics from around the world (including Chinese ceramics from the Tang dynasty 618-907), glazed vessels such as Celadon, Ding and Jun, artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome (including items found in graves/tombs). Additional items on display include toys, textiles, and tools.
History:
The structure has been structurally altered during each of the changes of use; from 1656 to 1811, it was used as a lodge for as many as 1000 slaves, including those who worked in the nearby Company Gardens, also working in the harbor, and in the arduous task of building the structures and canals of Cape Town. (In 1751 the original one-story building was remodeled to include a 2nd story). The building was damp, crowded and unsanitary, with reports of up to 20% of the tenants dying each year. In the late 18th century, the structure was converted to use as a brothel and jail for minor/petty criminals and for political exiles from Indonesia, and later as a mental asylum. In between 1807 and 1811 part of the structure was remodeled again, and used as a Post Office and later, a library. Around 1811, French immigrant architect LM Thibault added the classical elements of the facade to update the structure for use as the Cape Supreme Court (until 1914). In the 1960s the front of the structure was moved back to allow for the widening of Adderly Street, and the exterior was remodeled again. Archealogicial digging of the area revealed cellars were slaves had been housed.
The tombstones of Cape Town founder Jan van Riebeeck, and his wife, Maria de la Queillerie are located in the interior courtyard. (They were moved here from Jakarta).
Sources:
www.loneleyplanet.com/south-africa/cape-town/sights/museum/isiko-slave-lodge and www.capetown.gov.za/en/parks/Pages/TheCompanyGarden.aspx
(
visit link)
(
visit link)
(
visit link)