 Contact Artefacts | MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | Dunluce - McGregor Museum - Lillianville David YUILL: Architect 1976 restoration |  | ||||||
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Click to view map Coordinates: | Now part of the McGregor Museum. A member of the Diamond Syndicate, Gustav Bonas built himself a suitably ostentatious residence named Lillianville, with verandahs of woodwork and equally ornate wooden decoration on the gables. Within were ample reception rooms and all the amenities of a wealthy mining magnate. Designed in 1897 by the Kimberley architect D W GREATBATCH, this spectacular house was the background for much lavish entertainment prior to the time of siege. Nor far distant was the Sanatorium, used by RHODES as his headquarters during the siege. A 100 lb shell from Long Tom, aimed by the Boers at the Sanatorium, fell short, and instead landed through the roof of the house, damaging a bedroom and breakfast room below. This event was recorded in the Souvenir of the Siege of Kimberley, published by the Diamond Fields Advertiser. After the Anglo-Boer War, Bonus returned to England and his home was bought by John Orr in 1902. It was Orr who named the house Dunluce, after a ruined castle in Northern Ireland, the land of his birth. The Orr family continued to live at Dunluce until 1975, when the property was bought by Barlow Rand Ltd to be restored for the McGregor Museum. (Picton Seymour, 1989: 99) --------------------- In 1903, the property was renamed Dunluce. When it was listed for sale in mid-1975, the only interest came from a speculator intent on demolishing the house to build apartments. To preserve the property, owners Mrs. Rosemary Kempen and Mrs. June Fannin offered it, along with its contents, to the McGregor Museum’s Director at a reduced price. However, the museum lacked the funds to purchase it. As a solution, it was proposed that newly established firms in Kimberley be approached to acquire the house as a manager’s residence. Barlows Rand Ltd agreed to buy the house and its contents for the museum, stipulating that their manager could reside there for ten years, with an option to extend for five more. Restoration began in 1976, completed in eight months by contractor Mr. J. Crawford. Restoration: An 80-year-old house undergoes many changes, raising the question of whether to strictly restore it to its original state or preserve later additions that contribute to its character. The decision was made to restore the facade to its historical appearance. Fly screens were removed, a room built into the balcony was dismantled, the verandah’s ceiling board was replaced with match wood, and railings were painted green and white. Additions retained included a verandah extension on the south side, window canopies on the north wall, and a bathroom and bedroom added in the early 1930s. Indoor restoration was limited to redecoration and re-papering in the breakfast room. (Summary by Paul v d Merwe from: Historica 5, 1978.) References:
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