The famous McGregor Museum is housed in the Sanatorium on Atlas Street. The Sanatorium was built in 1897 at Cecil Rhodes’ instigation as a hotel and health resort, becoming his home during the four-month siege. Displays include natural history, the Siege of Kimberley, a Hall of Religions and the acclaimed Ancestors Gallery, depicting 3 million years of human history in the Northern Cape. Dunluce in the Kimberley suburb of Belgravia is one of the citys most elegant houses. Designed by the architect DW Greatbatch and built at the end of the 19th century, it was the residence of the merchant John Orr, whose family stayed there until 1975. The house was then bought by the McGregor Museum, with all its furniture, kitchen utensils, linen, books and photographs - some dating back to 1902 when the Orr family moved into the house. The Duggan-Cronin Gallery in Egerton Road depicts indigenous African people before the Western influence could drastically change their own traditional lifestyles. It houses some 8,000 photographs taken by Irishman Alfred Duggan-Cronin between 1919 and 1939. The Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum in Chapel Street is the original Museum built in 1907 in memory of the former mayor. Today, as a satellite of the McGregor Museum, it houses displays on Kimberley’s suburban and township development. The Africana Library in Du Toitspan Road houses missionary Robert Moffat’s personal copy of his Setswana translation of the Bible. This library is a rich repository of books, manuscripts and photographs portraying life in the Northern Cape. With over 400 rock engravings, the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre on the way to Barkly West is one of South Africa’s premier Khoisan rock art sites. The William Humphreys Art Gallery at the Civic Centre on Jan Smuts Boulevard is one of the most important galleries in the country. It houses a range of South African works, as well as 16th and 17th century British, Flemish and Dutch Old Masters.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:15:56 +0000
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