CECIL RHODES
[Photo courtesy: Friends of Rhodes] 46 Main Road Muizenberg This small seaside cottage in Muizenberg is where Cecil John Rhodes spent his last days Formerly known as Barkly Cottage, Rhodes, on 27 February 1899, purchaed a section of property along the Main Road, Muizenberg which included the cottage and site, from the estate of James Robertson Reid. It was one of the early landmarks on the road to Simon’s Town, and built circa 1870. Originally built with a thatched roof this had been changed to corrugated iron prior to Rhodes’ purchase. Here Rhodes died on 26 March 1902 and the cottage was left untouched until 1904, when the corrugated roof was removed, the gables raised and the roof rethatched. Rhodes health at this stage of his life was not good – he wanted to live near the sea and enjoy the fresh breezes from the south. Rhodes was a man of simple tastes and the furniture in the cottage was plain and sparse. He preferred this cottage to his other residences, including his Groote Schuur mansion in Rondebosch. On the site was an existing cottage, which consisted of three large bedrooms and a living room, quite suitable for his bachelor lifestyle. In the grounds is a smaller cottage, (originally a fisherman’s cottage according to writer Lawrence Green) used over the years by different caretakers/curators and staff. After Rhodes passed away, the site remained in the possession of the Rhodes’ Trustees until it was donated to the Northern Rhodesian Government in 1932, and then to the City of Cape Town in 1937 on condition that the land and the buildings be regarded and kept as a Memorial to Cecil John Rhodes and that the land and buildings preserved by the City of Cape Town and kept in good repair. On 27th January 1938, it was published that the site was to be a National Monument in the Government Gazette because of its “historical significance”. It was offically declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 4 February 1938. Geolocation: -34° 6' 50.4", 18° 27' 39.6" |
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See more of the place where Cecil Rhodes passed away in 1902 at the Rhodes Cottage Museum , or here. |
Rhodes Cottage
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