The Old Presidency or Ou Presidensie (

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

) is a museum, art gallery and theatre in the city of

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, South Africa, located on President Brand Street in the heart of the city. The former residence of the President of the Republic of the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

from 1886 until 1899 when the city fell to the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

during the

Second Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

History

A trekboer family with the surname of Brits settled on the site in the 1820s and built a thatched A-frame dwelling for themselves. Major Henry Douglas Warden (then the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

resident for the area north of the Orange River) purchased it from the Brits family in 1846. The thatched-house built by the Brits family was demolished and the house he (Warden) erected began as a small farm building which was made out of sun-dried bricks. It is referred to as a 'nederige kleihuis' (

for humble clay-house). In 1854, The

Government abandoned the

Orange River Sovereignty The Orange River Sovereignty (1848–1854; ) was a short-lived political entity between the Orange River, Orange and Vaal rivers in Southern Africa, a region known informally as Transorangia. In 1854, it became the Orange Free State, and is now ...

and the

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

Republic then took over the residence. This independence saw the new presidents of the republic take up quarters in the "Residency", reportedly Presidents

Josias Philip Hoffman Josias Philip Hoffman (commonly known as Sias Hoffman) (1807 – 1879) was a South African Boer statesman, and was the chairman of the Provisional Government and later the first State President of the Orange Free State, in office from 1854 ...

Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff Jacobus Nicolaas Boshof (31 January 1808 – 21 April 1881) was a South African (Boer) statesman, a late-arriving member of the Voortrekker movement, and the second state president of the Orange Free State, in office from 1855 to 1859. Biogra ...

and

Marthinus Wessel Pretorius Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (17 September 1819 – 19 May 1901) was a South African political leader. An Afrikaners, Afrikaner (or "Boer"), he helped establish the South African Republic (''Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek'' or ZAR; also referred to ...

. They all lived in the dwelling during their terms in office. In 1860, the

Volksraad The Volksraad was a people's assembly or legislature in Dutch or Afrikaans speaking government. Assembly South Africa * Volksraad (South African Republic) (1840–1902) * Volksraad (Natalia Republic), a similar assembly that existed in the Natalia ...

(The parliament of the former Orange Free State Republic, which existed from 1857 to 1902) approved plans for a new Presidency house. At that time, the

could only afford £800 for the restoration of the old residency. Additional repairs were carried out in 1864 and 1874. In the early 1880s the

decided that the cost of maintenance was unfeasible and that the building was no longer suitable as the official residence of the head of state of an independent country. Thus in 1882 President

Johannes Brand Sir Johannes Henricus Brand, (popularly known as Sir Jan Brand and sometimes as Sir John Henry Brand or Jan Henrick Brand; 6 December 1823 – 14 July 1888) was a lawyer and politician who served as the fourth President (government title), ...

submitted plans for a competition to design the 'new' Presidency to the

. There were in total 27 proposals submitted in 1884 for the prize money of £100. An international architectural competition was held and won by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

architects – Lennox Canning and F Goad of Canning & Goad Architects. The construction of the building was budgeted at £10,000, but the design submitted by Canning was too sophisticated and even after being asked to simplify their design, it still amounted to £12, 200. With some reluctance, this was accepted. The excavation of new foundations for the new building was deemed too costly, subsequently it was decided to build the new building on the foundation of the old one. . Construction started on 22 May 1885, when the foundation stone was laid, and the building was completed in 1886 with President Brand taking up quarters until his death in 1888. Presidents F.W. Reitz (1888–95) and M.T. Steyn (1896-1900) also resided in the building until the British occupation of Bloemfontein on 13 March 1900 when the building served as the headquarters of Field-Marshal Lord Roberts during the

Other uses of the Presidency

After the British captured Bloemfontein on 13 March 1900, the building became known as the Government House and was occupied by Lord Roberts and his officers; and later by Sir Hamilton J Goold-Adams (1901-1910) who was the Lieutenant-Governor of the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

. During the time of Goold-Adams, the architect Sir Herbert Baker made some additions to the Presidency and also added the stables to the back of the house. Along the years, the Presidency served as the following: *Annexe for Eunice School *Headquarters for the

Orange Free State Command Orange Free State Command was a command of the South African Army, active from to . Its headquarters was at Bloemfontein, seemingly for a period at the Tempe airfield, later to become the Tempe Military Base. History Origin Union Defence Fo ...

*Hostel for Normal College students *Offices for Free State Library Services *Venue for Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS)

Haunting

The stables at the back of the building are thought to be haunted with several reports of people hearing carriages moving into the stables. The premises reportedly house the ghost of a dog with many people hearing ephemeral barking at night. There are also many stories of children being spotted within the building due to the buildings tenure as a school and hostel.

Declaration status and Museum

The building was restored from 1973 to 1983. The museum mainly focuses on the lives and history of the three heads of state (Brand, Reitz and Steyn) during their respective terms of office. This site was originally declared a national monument on 27 January 1938 and later revised 15 December 1989 to the following: *SiteReference: 9/2/302/0007 *DeclarationType: Provincial Heritage Site *GazetteNo: 12214 *Gazette Date: Friday, December 15, 1989 *NoticeNo: 2709.Notice *Date: Friday, December 15, 1989. *Description The property, together with the Old Presidency thereon situated in President Brand Street, Bloemfontein, being certain Consolidated Erf 24722, situated in the city of Bloemfontein, District of Bloemfontein, in extent 3, 0586 hectares. The museum has other attractions including "art exhibitions, musical events and theatrical productions" and the gardens outside prove to be a popular site for photography. The museum is open during the week.

References

{{Authority control History museums in South Africa Museums in the Free State (province) Reportedly haunted locations in South Africa

History

Other uses of the Presidency

Haunting

Declaration status and Museum

See also

References