Historical Uplands building receives a blue plaque
Webster House, Uplands Prep's administrative building received a special plaque to commemorate its historical significance.
During an elaborate ceremony last week, the Blue Plaque at Webster House, Uplands Prep was officially unveiled. Pupils and staff, both former and current, attended the festivities to commemorate the significance of the historical building.
Actors, dressed according to the time Webster was still a homestead, presented a short history on the building, which was followed by a musical performance as well as speeches, before the plaque was unveiled.
The attempts to recognise Webster House started last year September, when the building turned 90 years old. As part of its heritage projects for 2013/14, the school decided to investigate the possibility of having the house declared a heritage site.
Ms Sue Kloeck, an Uplands staff member, invited Prof Roger Fisher to visit the school to get his opinion. Fisher was head of the school of architecture at the University of Pretoria for many years. He told Kloeck that Webster House met the requirements to have it classified as a heritage building, but advised them to apply for a Blue Plaque to commemorate it as a significant historical site instead.
The school was also visited by Mr James Ball of the Heritage Portal and the Mpumalanga Historical Interest Group (soon to be Mpumalanga Heritage), who helped Uplands to acquire the special plaque.
The school hopes to foster a sense of pride and educate the community about the importance of history and architecture through this plaque.
The unveiling was done during Heritage Month to focus public attention on the importance of celebrating and preserving South African’s diverse cultural heritage. It was also a historical milestone for Mpumalanga, as Uplands’ Blue Plaque is the first of its kind in the province. Mpumalanga Heritage is currently compiling a list of other sites that could qualify. It urges the public to suggest sites of historical interest and local businesses to get involved as sponsors.
