Africana material is well-preserved at the Brenthurst Library

The Brenthurst Library was established to preserve and maintain important manuscripts and information related to Africana history.

Sharing more information about its history, the curator of the Brenthurst Library Jennifer Kimble spoke to attendees at the Probus Club of Bedfordview open meeting on November 4.

Before Kimble’s presentation, Probus Club president Ineke O’Dougherty shared a brief history, noting that the Brenthurst Library was founded by Harry Oppenheimer in 1984.

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Kimble said that the history stretches back to 1902 when Harry’s father, Ernest, arrived in Kimberley.

“When he was 17, Ernest, born in Friedberg, Germany, entered Dunkelsbuhler & Company, a diamond brokerage in London, and went to Kimberley in 1902, at 22, to represent the company as a diamond buyer,” she narrated.

Ernest, who later became Sir Ernest, began a private collection that has grown to be one of the best repositories of Africana in private hands.

The collection remained in Kimberley until the 1930s, when Sir Ernest bought a large reception room at a home in Brenthurst Estate in Johannesburg. Harry inherited the love of art books from his father and felt the collection should be more specialised.

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Kimble said that with the gradual expansion of the collection, the family built the Brenthurst Library on the family estate in 1984.

The collection was housed in climate-controlled conditions, which included a conservation studio.

The curator said that people may conduct research in the library by appointment only, and they usually work with a group of 12 people per tour.

The next meeting will be on January 13, 2026, when Christopher Walker will speak on identifying misinformation in an AI world.

For more details on the Brenthurst Library, visit www.brenthurst.org.za