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History: The Rectory and the former Anglican Church, now a hall, date from the earliest years of the town. The Rectory is a very fine Old Cape thatched house. Now the complex forms the Bredasdorp Museum.

The former house of the Rector of the Anglican Church in Bredasdorp, still known as the “Rectory” is not only one of the oldest, but also one of the most interesting and architecturally important buildings in the town.
The earliest history of this old house is not known, but it was probably the farmhouse of the farm “Lange Fontein” on which Bredasdorp was laid out in 1838 and built shortly before that date.
The architecture of the house is typical of many farmhouses of that period in this district. The thick whitewashed walls, thatched half-hipped roof, the dormer gable with a fanlight and the Georgian doors and windows give the building a particular charm. It has the traditional U-shaped plan, but on investigation is seen not to have been built as a whole at one time; like many other farmhouses, it was added to at various times. The part of the U closest to the street seems to be the oldest, for it contained the front door with a fanlight, the entrance hall and two front rooms - features which are usually contained in the base of the U. It is also remarkable that the opposite side of the U is narrower.
It is clear that the house was not built by trained artisans for the 50 centimetre mud-brick walls are often irregular and opposite walls are not even parallel. The doors are very low and some of the lintels are skew. The floors of the front rooms are of yellow-wood but it looks as if the roof beams were taken from wrecks along the coast. The development of the house according to a particular architectural style, the lack of expert workmanship and the use of whatever materials were available locally give the old building a special attraction.
During the l the house probably became the property of the so-called “Independent Church of Bredasdorp”. In 1884 it was acquired by the Anglican Church as a rectory and served this purpose until recently when it was bought by the Municipality for conversion as a museum.
Visual Description: This is the Bredasdorp Museum Complex which is already proclamed a national monument.
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Condition: Good
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Catalogue: Rudner, 1987 (a), No: 13, Significance Category: