University of Cape Town: Avenue Precinct Rhodes Avenue, Avenue Road, Matopo Road, Rhodes Drive, Mowbray
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q \z_ \ \ \ \ \ £;7 UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN: AVENUE PRECINCT RHODES AVENUE, AVENUE ROAD, MATOPO ROAD, RHODES DRIVE, MOWBRAY HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT : STAGE 1 Volume 2 Detailed descriptions and assessment of edges, buildings and places November 2000 Conservation Development Consortium 18 Ley Road, St James 7945 Phone and fax (021) 788 3078 or phone 689 2626 e-mail thorold@ iafrica.com Practices in association Henry Aikman Associates, phone and fax 788 3078 Stewart Hanis Architect, phone and fax 423 3494 Penny Pistorius Urban Conservation and Planning, phone and fax 447 7066 Trevor Thorold Architects, phone 689 2626, fax 685 3237 -7~333 CON 200311111111111 0336 SA Heritage Resources Agency Library I I i I I ~ .. ----..:.. :.'.~::.-.;.. .._ - -·-·~ . ' 1~ . i ; r} ·1_ r :..., ;;·~ ;~ .... r, i 1-; t t ~ t/ ..,..eSOUfces Agency Libra1 Y ;i I /jl Accession No .. ~99..3.. ./.Q .~}.~ .......... !, r. ~ I '; r -- I tJ Lcc ~t1 0 n Na. 333 · 7'2- '-UN , - ········.. ·-·----·-·····••········ ....... ' I I I CONTENTS Volume2 2-2 Harring of places 2-3 lnlrodudion 2◄ Rhodes Avenue 2-10 Avenue Road 2-12 Rhodes Drive 2-14 Avenue House 2-24 Cadboll 2-32 Four 1930s houses 2-34 Princess Christian Home Hart 2◄-4 Edwin Annexe 2◄6 "Belsen" 2-50 Endnotes 2-53 Referencea Appendices 2-A Tlmellne Welgelegen & Avenue Precinct 2-8 Welfare In Cape Town a c»ntury ago I I Page 2-1 I I ------------ I I + I I I . I I L__ /' rl . ------=---=---=----/ r . 0 ~ --.--. 01 !, Ji I - ... - - - -- - INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME 2 In this album we discuss the various elements of the site in detail. Starting with the roads that surround the site and form Its edges, we then desaibe each of the buldings. The standard order of discussion is Name Address Restrictive conditions Thumbnail description Summary of significance Social history Building history Form and architecture Interior Condition Landscape Spatial connections Value and significance Interested and affected parties Design Indicators Sunrnaries of the key parts of these desaiptions are in Volume 1. Opposite: Places in the Avenue Precinct area. Page 2-3 I I RHODES AVENUE on both sides of Rhodes Avenue, and the Characteristics present offset geometry of the Rhodes Avenue Cecil Road-Avenue Road intersection. Varietas Rhodes Avenue has a sensuous character Thumbnail description was subdivided shortly thereafter, and by the which makes moving along it a deeply satisfying tum of the century the bottom of Rhodes experience. Because of its complex curves, the Curved road, partly tree-lined, running up the Avenue had begun to take on a suburban slope and the vegetation, it is experienced as a lower slopes of Devil's Peak between Main character with Victorian villas alongside it. sequence, with alternating qualities of Road and Rhodes Drive. In 1890 Rhodes purchased Welgelegen, concealment and revelation, enclosure and including the subdivided erven on either side of openness, sun and shadow. History Rhodes Avenue that had not yet been sold to Starting at the bottom, the intersection with others, and the upper part of the road itself. By Main Road is not very prepossessing: despite Rhodes Avenue was historically one of two the tum of the century, his influence over the characterful grouping of comer buildings on altemative approaches to Welgeiegen development in the area is clear - including three comers, including the old Driekoppen Inn, farmstead from Main Road. An earlier road to the renaming after him of several roads, the large characterless block of the Shoprite the farm , visible on the 1796 map, split off from including Rhodes Avenue. building and the broad expanse of tarred Main Road in what is now Observatory and In the early 20th century there was little pavement is overwhelming. However, followed an easy gradient across the slope. development along the upper part of Rhodes immediately above it the streetscape takes on One senses the "pull" of Cape Town in the Avenue, which retained an essentially rural an intimate residential character, with the alignment of this road. As the local community character. The triangular intersection with rhythmic spacing of garden walls and gates, the developed, interlinkages between the farms Avenue Road still had trees growing in the greenery of the gardens and oaks along the became more important. By 1813 a second middle of it, screening the Mowbray Public pavement, and glimpses of Victorian facades. road had been made, very much on the School building. The Avenue bore left, passing After a slight bend, the space expands at the alignment of the present-day Rhodes Avenue, between the Princess Christian Home cottage triangular Cecil Road-Avenue Road which made a steeper but more direct and Rhodes Hostel, both of which were set intersection. Here the view opens up to reveal connection to Main Road, and crossed it to link back from the road. At the top, it curved sharply the red-roofed Edwin Hart Annexe behind its to Durban Road and the farms along the around a pond, crossed a sloot and passed hedge (making little of its commanding Liesbeeck. The intersection of Main Road, through the gates of De Meule, becoming the position), and the rugged backdrop of Devil's Durban Road and Rhodes Avenue, with the formal approach to Welgelegen. At the bend, a Peak. The gum trees along the edge of the well-known Driekoppen Inn, became the footpath continued upwards, crossing Rhodes' small park on the left draw the eye into the Opposite: Lo-r sequence of Rhodes Avenue nucleus of the village or Mowbray and an tree-lined carriage drive to a pedestrian gate shaded tunnel of the gum avenue, where the important hub of activity on Main Road. and path to Rhodes Memorial. By this time, the road bends upwards, offering a glimpse of Top left: Rhodes Avenue below the Cecil Road/ By 1887 (according to Northcott) Rhodes circuitous approach to Welgelegen from the sunlight and a further bend beyond. Avenue Road intersection. Avenue had become the main approach to eastern side was also in use. The upper avenue is impressive and it is Welgelegen: the original road, which crossed Subsequently, major increases in traffic unfortunate that there are now gaps in the Bottom left: Rhythmic garden walls, greenery and oaks along the edge of "Varietas• suburb. several streams and must have been difficult to repeatedly affected the upper end of Rhodes sequence of old gums. Young trees have been Avenue, while the rest of it remained largely maintain in winter, petered out beyond the planted along the edge of the park to fill spaces, Top right: The triangular intersection ("knuckle"), with Welgelegen farm lands on the slopes of Devil's unchanged. By 1936 a vehicle connection to but a large portion of the metal boundary fence key view of the Edwin Hart Annexe with Devil's Peak Peak. Northcott drew Rhodes Avenue lined with Rhodes Drive had been built, with a central and the entrance buildings of the Land Surveys as backdrop. Rhodes Avenue peels off Into the trees: double rows on the lower section where it island apparently allowing two-way traffic. An property are unscreened by trees, and stand shade of the gum avenue. ran between Varietas and Zorgvliet farms and a avenue, possibly the remnant of the old road to out in the sunlight. There is also a gap on the single avenue on the Welgelegen lands above. Welgelegen, still ran behind the Princess right, which exposes part of the Edwin Hart Bottom right: Looking down, with the knuckle on the These are probably the oaks and old bluegums, Christian Home, but in 1946 it was obliterated Annexe behind an untidy collection of shrubs. left and the quiet little community park on the right. remnants of which stiU line the road. By this by the construction of the barracks at "Belsen•. Higher up, where the avenue is more complete, time, the track that became Cecil Road ran The last, and possibly most radical, change the rows of twisted old trunks make a place with Overleaf p2-7: Middle sequence Rhodes Avenue along the upper boundary of Zorgvliet. Rhodes came with the c.1963 remodelling of Rhodes a very strong presence. The dappled shade Top: A long gap in the gum avenue exposes the Avenue skirted past the Dutch Reformed - Drive as a modem dual-carriage highway, when also breaks up the hard lines of the metal intrusive Land Surveys and Mapping fence and Church (built on a subdivided property the connection to Rhodes Avenue was changed fencing. building, which destroys the character of this section transferred to the church in 1873) and is shown to downwards only, and the parking area was The Land Surveys and Mapping building is of the road. The Edwin Hart Annexe retains a half joining the old road to Welgelegen somewhat built alongside Mostert's Mill. The gate to an intrusive element in this environment, largely screen of untidy shrubs. abruptly. Rhodes Memorial, which had previously been because of its scale and bulk. The most The map of 1897 shows the beginning of the opposite Rhodes Avenue, was moved to the disturbing elements are not the buildings, but Bottom left: Where the avenue resumes, dappled process of suburbanisation, with the 1873 foot of the pedestrian bridge and the direct the heavy metal fence and the entrance shade breaks the lines of the fence. subdivision of the lower slopes of Welgelegen connection between · the avenue and the buildings and canopy. More planting along the mountain was severed. boundary would help tremendously to screen Bottom right: Above the gums the view opens up. Note the fine hedge on the left. Page 2-4 these elements and soften their impact.