Historical home refurbished

Fast forward 110 years later and the house stands as a testament to the rich history of Bedfordview and the Johannesburg mining industry.

Situated on the St Andrew’s School for Girls property, the historical master piece in design still boasts many of its original fittings.

The school’s Heritage Foundation, lead by Mrs Bev Smith, has, along with the assistance of the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA), taken on the remarkable task of restoring the historical homestead.

The first phase of this incredible project has taken nearly two years to complete.

The property on which the school stands today was part of the vast farm land once owned by Sir and Lady Farrar.

Randlord and mining magnet, Sir Farrar, was the founder and developer of East Rand Proprietary Mines Ltd (ERPM), the chairman of mines and a signatory on the infamous Jameson Raid.

Bedford Farm was the heart of what is now Bedfordview and the house, Bedford Court, was well-known in all social circles as the place to be invited to.

The foundation stone of Bedford Court was laid in 1903 by the British High Commissioner, Lord Milner, and the Sir Herbert Baker-designed building was completed in 1904.

Sir Baker then went on to design the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

After Sir Farrar’s death in 1915, this wife and six daughters continued to stay on the property for a further five years.

In 1920, Lady Farrar sold the house to Ms Jean Fletcher and Bedford Court became the third home for St Andrew’s School for Girls, which was founded in 1902.

Bedford Court has played a big part in the rich historical value of St Andrew’s School for Girls, and today the homestead is used as a language centre – complete with staff offices and a conference facility.

Mrs Smith describes Bedford Court as a national treasure, which she is deeply passionate about and during her research of the property she was able to obtain a copy of Sir Farrar’s will from the University of Cape Town.

She also visited Oxford University’s Bodleian Library where she was given copies of original pictures taken of the homestead.

Mrs Smith also has a full inventory of the contents of the house at the time Sir Farrar died.

When it was decided that the Heritage Foundation would push forward to have the historical homestead restored to its former glory, it approached the National Lottery Fund for assistance.

Before the restoration work could commence, the Heritage Foundation needed to obtain costly permits.

But, some three years later, the request for additional funding was turned down and the project had to be privately funded with the assistance of the school.

The restoration of the 3 000 square metre house was a mammoth task.

Wooden frames, panels and other joinery required attention, as did many of the smaller fittings such as door handles and hinges.

Paintwork, ceilings and Delft tiles around various fire places and some of the original bathrooms also needed work.

In addition, there have been major advances in waterproofing which were unavailable when the house was built.

Special permits allowed for the refurbishment and modernisation of the kitchen, which allowed the school to bring the house into the 21st century in terms of health and hygiene requirements.

The exterior of the building required special attention and the replacement of damaged roof tiles was completed in segments.

Roof tiles had to be sourced from other demolished buildings from the same time period, while chimney pots had to be restored based only on the original photographs.

While there is still much work to be done in refurbishing the interior of the house, one thing is for sure, this extraordinary historical monument will be around for many years to come.