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Moolmanshof Swellendam, Western Cape

Date: 1798 Client: Christiaan Essenberg Type: Homestead Style: Cape Dutch Status: Extant Street: 217 Voortrek Street

This property was transferred from the 'Landdrost en Heemraden' of Swellendam in 1799 to Christiaan Essenberg (Esbach, a Swiss?). It was the equivalent of a grant, from the local government authority. This man doubtless built the oldest part of the house, a plain row of rooms now forming the front, with the kitchen at the left-hand end. It evidently had casement windows. In 1814 Willem Koster was granted a piece of land adjoining. In 1815 he took transfer of Essenberg's land (the latter had died c1812). In 1817 he was granted another piece of land 'annex'. From 1830 ID 1847 it belonged to Moolman, who probably built the back part. The house is now H-shaped, with holbol end-gables but no front-gable. He also altered the interior, raising the whole ceiling and putting in fine heavy yellowwood beams and broad planks. He probably had the doors in front copied for the new back part and moved some walls. Double doors lead from the narrow entrance passage to the agterkamer; their upper halves are glazed. About 1870 all the front windows were replaced with over-large Victorian sashes, but the fanlights of the front door was left intact. The back right wing was obviously a wagon-making shop, with large doors at its outer end; a genuine old door opens into the side-court, possibly the old kitchen door moved to that position. Most internal doors and some of the floors are original. There is a stoep in front, with a small double flight of steps leading up to it. The thatch has been replaced by iron, but as at the Old Boys' School the eaves height has been retained; the Paarl-Wellington 'loft-window style' with its low-pitch iron roofs and clipped gables never caught on in Swellendam. [Fransen pp461/462.] All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.