National Monument
Courier/Postal Coach House
Dates: 1864 to present
Brief historical background: the ruins of this historical building sit at the foot of Ossewa Kop. Not much is to be found on this structure, but what exists appears in the information document below.
Collection summary: this collection comprises photographic images, an information document and a copy of a transport ticket.
Collection sourced by Rita Wiesemann and Carol Preston; April 2021
Size: A. nineteen photographic images; B. historical information document C. copy of a ticket D. copy of article from ‘overvaal musea news’ December 1982 Vol 9 No 4 pp.14-15
Restrictions: none
Storage: hard material stored in one archival folder
GPS coordinates: -27.362726 30.147966
The Coach House or Postal House was built in 1864 by Piet Joubert, who was later to become General Piet Joubert, and the postal service was started then. The structure sits at the top of Badenhorst Street and at the foot of Ossewa Kop. Since there were no trains or other vehicles available at the time the post was delivered by the Postal Coach to Wakkerstroom. It was also possible to purchase a ticket for personal transportation on the coach – see the copy of the ticket in section C below. According to the description by Major Otto Schikkard, the coach came twice a week from Pretoria to Wakkerstroom and was pulled by six to eight horses. In Wakkerstroom it was joined by the Natal Government Mail Service. In 1985 it was proclaimed as a possible National Monument or Heritage Site (Gedenkwaadigheid), but was destroyed shortly after this by fire. All that remain are the foundations of the Coach House where horses were housed, one standing wall of what appear to be an adjacent room attached to the Coach House and some small walls of a smaller room that appear to be adjacent to this one. The structure of a toilet facility stands separate to the Coach House. The date of the construction of this facility is unknown, but it appears that it functioned on the bucket system.
The Coach House was constructed from ironstone and bluestone. The stones are randomly arranged, consisting of rectangular or square shaped stones with interrupted courses. Stonework was bound together with mortar. The one remaining lintel over a window and the lintel over the doorway are neatly cut and fitted and appear to be sandstone. A single slab of what appears to be bluestone sits at the entrance to the Coach House and the floor of is dirt. Other blocks of various stones lie randomly around and particularly in the front of the building.
The toilet facility whose walls are still intact, stands separate from the Coach House. The structure is plastered, but where the plaster has come off the brickwork reveals red bricks held together with mortar. There is no roof or door to the structure. The facility shows a marked difference to the structure of the Coach House, and building materials used.
This article by Deirdre du Toit provides further historical background to the era plus a black and white photograph of the original building prior to its destruction by fire.
Coach ticket for Miss Hazelhurst
Copy of a ticket purchased by Miss Hazelhurst for transport from Volksrust to Wakkerstroom on the 25th May 1903. The route appears on the ticket to have been from Volksrust to Piet Retief via Wakkerstroom and Vaalbank and was issued by D.J. van der Spuy and Solms.