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		Drostdy - Museum George, Western Cape Johann Heinrich VOORMANN: Architect

Date: 1813 Type: Drostdy Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 33°57'17.47" S 22°27'34.97" E Alt: 245m

The Building is extant but just how much of the original building remains is unclear. The building was constructed in 1813 and was used as the Drostdy until it was damaged by fire in 1829. Following this it was sold William Hollett who restored the building as a family Home. In 1849 it was bought by Rev Thomas Earle Welby who was the first resident minister of the Church of England in George. In 1875 it was sold again to Mr Oosthuizen who converted it into a Boarding House. In 1903 it changed hands again and became known as the Victoria Hotel, which it remained until the mid-1990s, with the exception of a short period around 1909 when it was renamed the Drosty Hotel. Around 1930 a large bedroom wing was added to the right and a bar to the left. The building is largely seen in this formation today. In 1996 it was again renovated and turned into the George Museum, which was moved from its former location in the Old Townhouse in Market Street. (Gerald Humphrey 2016) Books that reference Drostdy - Museum Lewcock, Ronald. 1963. Early Nineteenth Century Architecture in South Africa : a study of the interaction of two cultures, 1795-1837. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pg 72