Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		Ratelrivier Cape Agulhas National Park, L’Agulhas district, Western Cape

Date: late 1700+ Type: Farmstead Style: Strandveld Status: Razed by fire   Click to view map Coordinates:

The Ratelrivier farmstead comprises of a collection of the C18, C19 and C20 farm buildings. The core of the homestead dates to the early C18 and reflects the Dutch pioneering period while the rest relates to British occupancy of the Cape Colony. The building has expanded over time with additions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The original bywonershuisies were re-used as servant accommodation and were later converted to cottages. Around 1903 a stone stable was constructed with the support posts coming from a wreck along the coast. A cemetery is located about 500 metres from the homestead. The buildings were constructed with exposed limestone, and later white washed, all with thatch roofs. The place suffered severe damage in fires and is to be restored (2006). Books that reference Ratelrivier Fransen, Hans. 2004. The old buildings of the Cape. A survey of extant architecture from before c1910 in the area of Cape Town - Calvinia - Colesberg - Uitenhage. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. pg 449