Belhaven House reopened after months of restoration

BARBERTON – Belhaven House was built between 1899 and 1904 and symbolises the lifestyle of the well-to-do in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. The prefab house has been carefully restored, according to tour guide Henry Sibande.

“The restoration took place from April 29 to August, and involved treating the area around the house for termites. It was completed a month earlier than expected,” he said.

This past Friday, Belhaven House was opened to the public for viewing and Sibande took the visitors through the grand house for an authentic look at how people lived at the time. The guests oohed and aahed as the guide led them through the central corridor to the dining room and bedrooms.

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They marvelled at the craftsman-ship of the sturdy dressers in the rooms, with the brass handles polished to a high shine, as Sibande explained the painstaking process followed to achieve the high gloss.

“We had to use special materials to restore and treat the wood, and the team removed all the handles before applying a special polish, to ensure that everything remains exactly as it was in those days.”

The tour revealed how the upper class lived and pointed out their penchant for quality furnishings in the home. Sibande revealed that the house was a catalogue house, which sold for about £60 at the time.

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He continued to explain how the colours were matched very carefully before the painting continued, to ensure that the house retained its original colours. During his address, Sanjay Singh from the Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation stressed the importance of introducing signs in Portuguese at shops in the city to make communication with foreign visitors, especially from Mozambique, easier.

This, he said, would boost the local tourism trade by presenting a welcoming face to tourists. Friends of the Museum chairman, Chris Rippon, explained how Belhaven House was built and the importance of preserving its architectural value.

“What makes Belhaven unique is the pressed steel walls. It is believed to be the only building in South Africa of which all the walls and ceilings are constructed of pressed steel.

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“It is for this reason that it was declared a national monument by the National Monuments Council in 1988.”