| Left: What used to be the chimney of the original house. The house grew longer as more rooms were added.
Below: The "Long House" at Rietfontein, a month before the fire. The photo was probably the last taken of the house.
Bottom: The remains of the barn. Inside was a burnt-out kombi and the Lister engine that used to generate electricity. The buildings were built with local limestone, and the wood came from shipwrecks. It is unlikely that they can be restored.
|
|
|
|
Rietfontein burnt down
The importance of conserving the cultural heritage on the Agulhas Plain along with its natural resources, was underlined on 10 September when the historic buldings on the farm Rietfontein burnt down after being set alight by juveniles. The Long House and barn, all built of local limestone in the 18th Century, were destroyed with their contents. Mr Piet Lourens, who had worked on the farm for 52 years, and his wife Elsabé were away when the fire occurred. A doll’s carriage was a sad reminder of a child who grew up here.
Rietfontein is one of the farms in the Southern Strandveld already purchased by SANParks to enlarge the Agulhas National Park. Once the park is developed and fenced, properties like these will be protected by rangers. The area also contains archaelogical remains from the early Khoisan inhabitants.
|
|
