Sites

The site comprises the remains of the farmhouse on the property historically known as Ramona and presently described as Portion 18 of the farm Platterug 303 that is owned by Mr Broadbend. It consists of a farmhouse and shed. The farmhouse is rectangular in shape with a hipped corrugated iron roof. It has a gabled wing on its south-western end and is built on a stone foundation. Although more modern steel framed windows are also present on the later additions of the house, the original components of the building all still have wooden sash windows. At its core the building has a large rectangular living room surrounding which a number of rooms are found. Bedrooms are located on the western and northern ends, with a bathroom located on the western end of the building which is accessed by way of a short passage. The kitchen is located on the north-western side and has a pantry to its east. It is evident from the shape of the dwelling that the bathroom, kitchen and pantry were all added at a later stage. A closed-off veranda is located on the eastern and southern ends of the dwelling. Originally the veranda was “L” shaped, spanning the entire front section of the house and the living room extent on the southern side of the house, where it joined the larger bedroom. It had a corner entrance on the south-eastern corner of the house; the curved step and columns are still evident. The veranda was however later enclosed, and the entrance was moved to the east, with the veranda area divided into three rooms. The columns and small veranda wall are however still visible in the enclosed design, so too is the original small diamond shaped window placed in the closed wall at the end of the closed-off veranda on the northern side. A second partially enclosed veranda leads off the kitchen and pantry on the northern side of the house. The entire house has wooden floors, large wooden skirting boards and ceilings and architectural details such as the old light fittings and switches are still evident. The doorframes are also wooden, but only the sash windows of the living room remain. Other than the sash windows and the wooden windows on the veranda, all the other windows have steel frames and art deco burglar proofing. An old built-in cool box is still located on the veranda at its entrance to the larger bedroom.The dwelling’s reservoir is located at the front of the house on the northern corner and also has a stone foundation. The house is plastered with a course plaster finish that is made by adding small pieces of gravel to cement that is smeared over the brick walls. The window and door frames are finished with a decorative technique known as pargeting or moulding. A rectangular shed which is linked to the house with an adjoining wall, is located on its south-western end. The entrance to the shed is on its western side and it has one large rectangular room with four smaller rooms leading from it to the south. The four smaller rooms are equal in size. All the door frames, windows and doors are of wood and the brick walls of the building were erected in the British Bond style. The dwelling is not depicted on a survey diagram compiled in March 1910. However, it is shown on the First Edition of the 3325DB Topographical Sheet that was surveyed in 1943. Based on this it would appear that the building under discussion is between 105 and 72 years old.