WORCESTER is known to many, particularly those from Cape Town, as the town on the other side of the Huguenot tunnel or over the mountain, renowned for its sweltering summers and its picturesque, snowy mountains during winter. While the significance of the town is often lost in modern-day life the history of the town and region is fascinating.
The area that became known as the Breede River Valley was inhabited by indigenous hunter gather and pastorals groups, the San and Khoi, before the arrival of Europeans. The San and Khoi were followed by “trek” (pioneering) farmers that brought their herds to the Breede River Valley for grazing and later settled permanently when loan farms were established.
Establishment of a new town
Worcester was founded in 1820 after the then Governor of the Cape Colony, Lord Charles Somerset, instructed J.H. Fisher, the magistrate of Tulbagh at that time, to find a suitable area for the establishment of a new magisterial seat between the towns of Tulbagh and Graaff Reinet. Fisher was so impressed by the area of present-day Worcester that he subsequently recommended this area to Lord Somerset. Lord Somerset named the new town in honour of his eldest brother, the Marquis of Worcester. Charles Trappe was the first “landdrost” (magistrate) (Trappe Street named after him). Another motivation for the establishment of the town was the building of a road over the Franschhoek Mountains, to link Stellenbosch with the interior of the country. The farms Roodewal (also sometimes referred to as Roodedraaij) and Langerug were obtained from Du Toit and Burgers for the establishment of the town. The Kleinplasie (Small farm) museum on the outskirts of Worcester (on the R60) is part of the original farm Roodewal.
Town layout
Worcester was laid out according to a grid pattern, typical for the new inland towns established at the time, with the main street, High Street, dominated by the Drostdy. The first plots (erven) were within the borders of Somerset, Durban, Riebeeck and Tulbagh Streets and were sold for between 200 and 400 Riksdaalders (equivalent to R30 to R70). The width of the main streets in town hint at the wagon drawn carriages that graced the avenues, and the size of some of the buildings, particularly uptown, indicating a former wealthy and prosperous community.
The western end of High Street ends at the Drostdy (Somerset Street), the oldest building in town (1823-25), built according to the neo-classical style. The neo-classical colonnade over the front door, the arches on either side and the parapet on top are all typical English Georgian features. The Drostdy was the most important building in the town at the time with the square leading up to the building which provided the necessary approach to fully appreciate the impressive building. The position of the Drostdy in relation to the lay-out of the town epitomises the fundamental principles of authoritarian town-planning. Due to the Breede River bursting its banks regularly the town developed to the east, the Drostdy at the western border of town. This building served as magistrate’s office and residency until 1891. The Dorstdy consisted of a whole complex of buildings including the magistrate’s court, office building, houses for the secretary and clerk, and a gaol. The Old Goal was housed in the original Langerug farm’s wine cellar, around the corner from the Drostdy in Distillery Road. The Goal was damp and insecure and later re-located.
After a new magistrate’s office was built in the centre of town the Drostdy was sold to the Dutch Reformed Church. After the Anglo-Boer War the Dorstdy building was as a missionary training college (“Boeren Zending School”) for young men, especially those that had taken part in the war, and in 1911 it became an industrial school. In 1926 the government again took it over and developed it into the Drostdy Technical High School and today house the HTS Drostdy High school and hostels.
German settlers arrived in the mid-19th Century and began to cultivate the land, planting vineyards and orchards.
Architecture in Worcester
The construction of private buildings in town sometimes occurred in the absence of an architect. Many houses have Cape Dutch as well as Victorian characteristics (Church Street no. 160, 156, 129. 70, 54). Worcester even developed its own building style, the Worcester gable, a simplified neo-classical. The typical Worcester gable consists of four pillars with a wide bow across the tympanum (a semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window) stretching over the width of the gable. The Worcester gable can be seen in buildings in the historical Church Street No. 28 (1830) and Church Street No. 68 (1860).
Unlike Stellenbosch and Paarl, Worcester never suffered big fires and many of the original gabled houses remained largely unchanged. In 1850 the importation of corrugated iron began and many houses were provided with verandas, many of which were removed during subsequent restorations. Whilst many of the thatched roofs have been replaced, most of the buildings are in beautiful condition. There is a heritage walk one can take through the old part of town. Ask the front desk for details of the heritage walking route or visit the Worcester Tourism website for an electronic version of a booklet and maps. The route takes you through Church Street where most of the architecturally interesting buildings are situated with a few coffee shops along the way to make the leisurely stroll more enjoyable. The heritage buildings along Church Street include No. 68 Church Street, built c.1860 and has a Worcester gable – originally the residence of the Assistant Landdrost of Worcester, JF van der Graaff but today houses the Slow Living Café coffee shop, No.56 Church Street which dates to c.1860 and has a Worcester-type gable and belonged to a trader, and later a doctor, No.33 Church Street – a Victorian house built c.1886 and might have been used as a blacksmith, today a dentist’s office. Roodewal, No.28 Church Street, dates to c.1830 and has a thatched roof and typical Worcester gable. The thatched roofing was used as an adaptation to the warm dry summer climate when cooling was important. The steep slopes (45-50°) and thick (125 to 150 mm) layers are required for water to run-off from the roof with minimum penetration. The bricks used at the time weathered easily and had to be covered for protection. For this reason the walls were lime-washed acting as a protective layer but were also aesthetically pleasing and showed-off the skill of the mason.
The slave history of Worcester
The first presence of European farmers in the Breede River Valley was in 1714. The farmers initially did not settle here permanently but migrated for grazing their cattle. Later, when loan farms were made available farmers settled in the area permanently. By 1830, there were already 329 farms established around Worcester. The farmers would have brought their slaves with them when they settled in the area. By 1832, Worcester had become a frontier town with the Market Square (Die Plein, today the Nelson Mandela Plain) which were the main hub for trade, including the buying and selling of slaves. Slaves were imported by the Dutch as early as 1657. Slavery was abolished on 1 December 1834.
Worcester, like all other towns, had a slave bell that was rung to notify slaves when they could move around and when to return to their slave lodges. The slave bell was situated opposite the Die Plein, today located inside the municipal precinct, bearing witness to the rich cultural history of Worcester. The first school for slave children, the Rhenish School, was started in 1834 at the corner of Adderley and High streets by Missionary Ter Linden from the Rhenish Mission Church (German Protestant missionary society Rhenish- of the Rhine River). The original church building complex (today partly used for commercial purposes) with its unique architecture, are beautifully kept and located across from the Magistrates office at 46 Adderley Street. The old Slave house was located on the original Roodewal farm, today a bar on the property of Kleinplasie Agricultural Museum.
Some slaves were set free as a reward for hard work, whereas others, who were allowed to earn money, could save enough to buy their own freedom. In a few cases, a free lover of a slave woman bought her freedom in order to marry her. In other instances, the slave’s purchase price was paid by a family member who had already obtained his or her freedom. It is mentioned that not only Europeans owned slaves in the Cape Colony and some former slaves had become rich, owing several slaves themselves.
Worcester has a rich cultural heritage with museums that provide a glimpse of the rich history of the town. These include:
- Worcester Museum (R60/ Robertson road) open weekdays 8:00-16:00 and Saturdays 8:00-13:00
- Afrikaner Museum (75 Church street)
- Hugo Naude House (113 Russel street)
- Beck House Museum (21 Baring street)
Visit the Worcester Museum
The Worcester Museum is a Cultural History Museum with the collection’s emphasis on the Cape Colonial history and a strong focus on agriculture with farm implements, wagons, furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles and metal goods on display. The museum grounds have been developed to represent a traditional Cape farmyard. Live demonstrations depict activities of a bygone era such as the baking of bread in an outdoor brick oven and the forging of metal by a blacksmith. The museum also has agricultural related demonstrations such as: the tramping of grapes for wine making; shearing sheep; milking cows and candle making.
When the museum at Kleinplasie was developed in 1980’s, multiple horse skeletons were unearthed on the site. This was linked to the farm being used as a British remount camp during the Anglo-Boer War with injured and sick horses brought there to recover, many which inevitably died and was buried on site.
It was unfortunately not the only war with which Worcester had ties. There is evidence that an Italian Prisoner of War camp was set up at Kleinplasie during World War II. These men were used as labourers to build Du Toitskloof Pass, after which some were placed to surrounding farms where remnants of their presence remain.
Other interesting historic facts
- 1850 – Sheets of galvanized (corrugated) iron first imported to Worcester
- 1861 – Old Town Hall completed
- 1876 – First telegraph office and postal service
- 1877 to 1885 – Railway to Kimberley under construction, travellers were carried from Cape Town to Worcester and the next day took the train to Kimberley diamond fields.
- 1882 to 1890 – Blue gum trees successfully forested in Worcester to provide wood for use in the engine furnaces at a time when the amount of coal mined in South Africa was not sufficient.
- 1886 – First telephone installed
- 1891 – Worcester Gold Mining Company Ltd founded and operated a gold mine at Barberton at substantial losses to the shareholders and eventually closed down.
- 1900 – 1901 Support for the Boer Commandos in the Cape Colony, including Worcester during the Anglo-Boer War resulted in Martial Law to be declared when the Boer Commandos were spotted in the vicinity.
- 1903 – The Worcester Chamber of Commerce was established.
- 1908 – Good Hope Café and Scala Cinema opened its doors
- 1914 – The hospital was completed at Hospital Hill
- 1961 – The Eskom Hex River Power station, situated in Worcester, was opened. The power station electrified the railway track from Cape Town to Beaufort-West, making it the longest electrified section in Africa.
Other heritage sites and buildings in Worcester include:
- Church Square and garden or remembrance
- The Rhenish Church Complex, c/o Adderley and High Street
- St James Church, Waterloo Street.
- Provincial Library, c/o Adderley and Church Street
- No. 66 Church Street
- Beck Huis- No. 75 Church Street/ c/o Church and Baring Streets was built in c.1825 and belonged to the Beck family
- No.158 Church Street was one of the first schools in Worcester.
- No.156 Church Street has a fretwork bargeboard, and ”broekie” lace decoration
- No.162 Church Street, “At Last”
- No.168 Church Street dates to c.1835 and was owned by Mr Wykeham (next to Wykeham Lodge) – today it is the studio and art gallery for David Reed, one of South Africa’s leading glass artists
- No. 170 Church Street was used by Glennan & Rich to produce apple vinegar, and later became stables, breeding horses for the Indian army.
- No. 72 Fairbairn Street
- No. 37 Russell Street
- Uitvlugt Farm, De Wet, Worcester
Bibliography
Theron, N. (2017). History of Worcester: HERITAGE WALKING ROUTE, MEMORIAL GARDEN, WORCESTER TOWN MAP, WORCESTER WINE & OLIVE ROUTE MAP. Worcester Tourism, 13pp.
du Plessis, E. (2007). Worcester during 1950s and 1960s. Available from Flickr. Accessed on 07/03/2023.
