In 1752, Governor Ryk Tulbagh granted Erf No.6 on the corner of what was to become Hout and Loop Streets to the burgher Hendrik Britz. Here he built a home for his family. Five years later, it was sold to Gustav Tregard for 6300 guilers. Nicholas von Wielligh bought the property in 1770 for 6000 guilders. In 1815, von Wielligh’s widow, then Gerharda de Jongh, sold the house for 55 000 Ryksdalers. The tremendous increase in value suggests the von Wiellighs made extensive improvements and commissioned the friezes.
From 1815 to possibly 1880, wine merchants owned the building and exported wine from the Franschhoek Valley — hence the name Huguenot House. It became the most important wine center in the Cape, after Groot Constantia. At the end of the 19th Century, a small hotel, Huguenot Inn, served as a haven for weary travelers. In the early 1990’s, under the guidance of architect Gabriel Fagan, the building was restored and became the headquarters of Prins and Prins Diamonds.
ITEMS OF HISTORIC INTEREST
THE WALL PAINTINGS
Beautiful Neo-Classic wall paintings dating back to the 18th Century were discovered during restoration. The colour and style of the friezes are similar to that discovered in Pompeii in 1790, which suggests they were painted after that. In the “voorkamer,” Gerharda de Jongh is depicted as the Roman goddess Luna. Note the crescent moon (horns?) on her forehead.
A painting of her husband as Neptune, on the wall facing her, could not be saved. In the “agterkamer,” their daughter is painted as Ceres (goddess of fertility) with a wheat headband, and their son as Bacchus, who sports a crown of vine leaves. The portraits are on backgrounds painted as wood paneling. The unique red-brown in the flower swags is known as Pompeiin Red and was made from local ochre, while the soft greens are hues of a dark green Dutch pigment toned down by local lime.
Painted portraits of Mrs Gerharda von Wielligh (Left), her son and daughter.
The rooms on either side of the “voorkamer” served as bedrooms. A most unusual motif of a rose, a lilac, a daisy, and a peony, forms the hand-painted dado in the room on the right. The frieze above the floor depicts green malachite (a semi-precious gem used as wall tiles in European palaces.) The dado of roses in the bedroom on the left is a replica. Samples of the original dado are displayed in the kitchen.
The walls of upstairs rooms were painted in various patterns and pieces of the original plaster are displayed in the kitchen. Dutch painters worked for their board and lodging only, and after they painted the grand homes of Cape Town, they applied their skills to homes on wine farms.
With the advent of electric light in the early 20th Century (when the dark interiors of the Victorian Era fell from fashion), the friezes were overpainted – first a pale blue and, after that, brilliant white. Fortunately, the new oil paint exuded a gas that protected the original friezes.
Rose dado
WOODEN WALL CABINETS
Recesses for six build-in wall cabinets were discovered. The original cabinets and the architrave that separated the “voor- and agterkamer” were removed, probably traded for wine, and today may grace unknown homes in Franschhoek.
FLOORS AND CEILINGS
The floorboards are made of Burmese teak, while the ceiling beams and panels are from indigenous yellow wood. A wooden beam in the cellar is the thickest in Cape Town.
KITCHEN AND SLAVE QUARTERS
The high location of the ventilation holes in the later day kitchen suggests it, initially, have been slave quarters or a security room. The original kitchen had led from the large dining room. A new kitchen was built (probably after 1834, when slavery was abolished), with a new fireplace below the existing smoke room. An archeological study by Prof Hennie Vos (Stellenbosch) exposed the original floor made of Dutch klompie bricks which came from Holland as ship’s ballast. Some of them were laid into the new brick floor.
IN-HOUSE WATER WELL
On stripping the kitchen, a water well was discovered. When drinking water got piped to Cape homesteads, it became a refuse pit and was even used as a “long drop” for some years. Two other home wells of similar age exist in Cape Town. Artefacts and coins from this well, dating from 1740 to 1840, are displayed in the kitchen and in the Stellenbosch Museum.
THE ROOF
Clay bricks were laid on the ceiling planks, cemented with lime, and covered with bitumen as waterproofing. The modern roof was cast in concrete.
THE WALLS
The walls were constructed from various boulders, rocks, clay tiles, mud, and lime and are up to 80cm thick. Scant waterproofing existed, and rising damp remains a problem. Unusual items such as dolls, crosses, glass, skeletal bones of animals, etc., were built into the walls, possibly as protection against evil spirits. The curved wooden window sills are typical of old houses. For many centuries gravity has been pulling on the walls between the windows, which caused the wooden sills to bend downwards.
THE CELLAR
For nearly a century, this space served as a wine cellar. In the early 20th Century, it became a storage space for Stuttafords Stores. A Panoramic view of Cape Town, Pen and ink drawing of Josephus Jones (1805). As seen from the Castle of Good Hope. Huguenot House is the fourth house from the right. The water fountain in the fore ground was demolished when the new Grand Parade was built.
CURRENT USAGE
Today, Huguenot House is the home of Prins and Prins Diamonds and their Museum of Diamonds, Jewellery, and Earthly Treasures. We invite you to experience the ambiance of a gracious Early Cape Home and marvel at the wonderful world of Diamonds and Gold. Browse without obligation through our showrooms, visit our goldsmith atelier to see how fine jewellery is created by hand, and be amazed by the earthly treasures in our museum.