Page 18 - IFV Issue Issue 9_2022

Out & About

here else can you find a
rich slice of our history,
Walong with a hiking trail,
caravan park, picnic spots, a tea house,
as well as bird walks and Supper Talks,
all in one place, just about on your
doorstep? Just a few minutes from
here, in the Village of Irene, you will
find the SMUTS HOUSE MUSEUM.
What a wonderful way to spend a day!
There is the historic house itself which
is full of letters, photographs, citations, History and Nature
medals, books, maps and mementoes
from three wars. There are also the – A VITAL PART OF
arboretum to explore, scenic walks to
take, some interesting graves to intrigue, OUR SOUTH AFRICAN
birds to spot, and Ouma Isie’s Tea Garden
where one can sit beside a pomegranate HERITAGE
tree and enjoy their signature treat of
cream scones!

THE HISTORY OF SMUTS HOUSE Below: UN Charter signing
Smuts House is one of the oldest
buildings in the area, having
been erected as a dwelling on the
farm Doornkloof in 1909. It was a
prefabricated structure made in
England and shipped to India as a
Mess Hall for the Army there. It was
subsequently dismantled and shipped
to Middelburg in South Africa where
General Smuts purchased it. It was
then railed to Pretoria and delivered
to the farm by ox-wagon.
This humble home – freezing in winter,
boiling in summer – was to be the family
home until 1954. Smuts entertained

16 • Issue 9 2022 • The Villager