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Historic mine manager’s house celebrates centenary

3rd July 2015

By: Jade Davenport

Creamer Media Correspondent

  

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South Africa’s historical mining narrative has placed much emphasis on detailing the harsh living conditions of black migrant mineworkers, who were housed in single-sex, often closed, compounds for much of the twentieth century. Very seldom has that narrative detailed the lifestyle of those who owned and managed the mines. Moreover, we are rarely given the opportunity to experience firsthand the often opulent lifestyles of the other half of our mining society.

Having said that, there is a beautifully preserved museum house in the historic mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest, in Mpumulanga, which, for the first 57 years of its existence, was occupied by successive general mine managers of Transvaal Gold Mining Estates (TGME).

The Alanglade House museum is a rare gem in South Africa’s plethora of tourist attractions, for not only is it a period mansion that is actually open to the public, but also illustrative of the exceptional wealth generated by the country’s once prosperous gold mining industry.
The house was built by TGME exactly a century ago, in 1915, as the official residence of the company’s general mine manager.

At the time of the house’s commissioning, the Pilgrim’s Rest gold mining industry was at a high point, at least from the perspective of organised- company mining activities. Although exact tonnage and gold extraction figures are not available, it is known that, in the mid-1910s, TGME operated at least a dozen rich mines around the Pilgrim’s Rest area, including famous names, such as the Beta, Theta, and Jubilee mines. Indeed, the richness of the mines and the success of that era of mining is certainly reflected in the grand double-storey house itself.

However, the opulence of the residence is attributable not only to the success of TGME’s mining endeavours, but also to the lifestyle of the Barry family, the first occupants of Alanglade House.

While the house may have been built for accommodating a successive list of mine managers and their families, it was specifically designed to suit the needs and tastes of one manager, in particular, Richard Alan Barry, who assumed duty as TGME’s general mine manager on September 1, 1915. Barry and his wife, Gladys, both came from wealthy Anglo colonial backgrounds and were accustomed to a lifestyle of the upper echelons of Edwardian society.

The Barrys’ influence on the house is not only evident in its actual name, with the combination of Alan and Gladys producing ‘Alanglade’, but also in the style of the interior and layout of the surrounding grounds. It is understood that, apart from choosing all the inner furnishings, Gladys Barry contributed extensively to the design and appearance of the house. (Interestingly, while much is known and can be seen of the Barrys’ influence on the house, it is not known who actually designed the residence. There is much speculation as to who the architect could have been, although one of the most favoured candidates is Sir Herbert Baker.)

The house as it is today is decorated with the original furnishings used by the Barry family during the period 1915 to 1930 and reflects expensive contemporary Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Barry’s penchant for hunting is also evident in the house, with many of his trophies adorning the walls.

The presence of a croquet lawn, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a summerhouse, and a rose garden is also indicative of their love of upper-class outdoor activities.

Even the very location of the house speaks volumes about the attitude of the upper-class mine management of the day: it was specifically situated on a forested hill a few kilometres north of the actual village and mines so that the Barry family did not have to mix with mineworkers and ordinary village residents on a day-to-day basis.

The Barry family occupied Alanglade until 1930, when Richard Barry was replaced as TGME’s general mine manager. It is not entirely understood why Barry left TGME, although the company did experience difficult times during the years of the Great Depression, before the abandonment of the gold standard breathed new life into South Africa’s gold mining sector.

The house was occupied by several other successive mine managers until 1972, when TGME, having produced negligible profits for almost a decade, was compelled to close the Beta mine, its last operation.

With all the mines having been closed, Alanglade lay abandoned for six years until, in 1978, the then Transvaal provincial administration (TPA) bought the house and its grounds with the intention of turning it into a form of luxury tourist accommodation. However, its potential as a period house museum became the preferred option and, under the guidance of the TPA’s Library and Museum Services, it was restored, furnished and officially opened to the public as a museum in December 1983.

Today, the Alanglade House museum is one of Pilgrim’s Rest’s premier tourist attractions, with specialised guides providing tours of the residence twice daily. For those with a penchant for the paranormal, a ghost tour of the house and the village cemetery is certainly advisable.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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