Primary tabs
THIS IS THE ARCHIVE FOR SAHRIS 1.0
THIS SITE IS NOW AN ARCHIVE AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MAKING APPLICATIONS
Please be aware that no content and application creation or changes to information on this version of SAHRIS will be retained.
To make applications or utilise SAHRIS for the creation of information, please use the new site:
https://sahris.org.za
Changes to SAHRIS!
The South African Heritage Resources Information System (SAHRIS) has undergone a generational upgrade and restructure. These changes to the site include, but are not limited to:
- A new & modernised look and layout
- Improved site usage flows with respect to applications and content creation
- Improved site performance and stability
Launch for the new version of SAHRIS occurred on Monday the 30th of October 2023.
The new site can be found here:
SAHRIS | SAHRIS
9/2/092/0022
- 189 reads
Group
Post date: 07/08/2012
Archive Import
History: A short way above the "Oefeninghuis" in the main street of Swellendam stands a fine Cape house with white gables and a thatched roof. It is the spiritual home of the Barry family in South Africa.
The name of Joseph Barry is legendary in the history of the Overberg. He arrived at the Cape in 1817. At first he devoted himself to the coastal trade, but he soon settled in Swellendam, where he married a daughter of Jacob van Reenen in 1825. In spite of taking a serious financial knock, he built up a commercial empire in company with his two nephews, Thomas and John, which stretched from Worcester to Mossel Bay.
Joseph Barry bought this house in 1826 from J. W. Paulsen, the schoolmaster and lay reader of the congregation of Swellendam. He built outbuildings on the property to house his commercial wares. In 1834 fire broke out in the house and, according to the S.A. Advertiser ""the conflagration was so rapid that the whole of these premises, with outhouses and stores and the goods contained in them, were burned"". After the fire Joseph Barry restored the T-shape of the original house but added a row of rooms along the front, joining it to the original house by building out the sitting-room still more. In this way the sitting-room became a veritable state-room, while the entrance to the loft and the sharp, triangular end-gables lend character and atmosphere to the building.
In 1857 Joseph Barry moved to Cape Town and the Auld House was occupied by his grand-nephew and successor, John Joseph Barry, who added a further wing on the left side of the house. John Joseph took an active part in public life and was elected a member of the Cape Legislative Assembly in 1878. After his death the house passed to Gerhardus Cornelius Deneys Reid who was married to one of the Barry daughters. In this way the Reid family became the guardian of the Barry family tradition as far as the Auld House is concerned.
Visual Description:
Colours:
Site Features:
Condition:
Construction Date:
Materials:
Catalogue: , No: , Significance Category: