FIVE
VOC INSTITUTIONS AT THE CAPE
AM
van Rensburg
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Van Staden
drawings 1710.
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Van Staden
drawing: Hospital, Slave Lodge, and Church
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The
following institutions were part of the VOC life at the early Cape. It
is amazing that they were all eventually right opposite one another,
apart from the Fort. The Garden is the oldest surviving entity. The
present Slave Lodge was built just below the garden, the proximity must
have been a determining factor in its location. The Hospital was built
later in the same vicinity. It is incredible that the Church was built
right next to the Slave Lodge, and opposite the Hospital. The Church and
Slave Lodge was seperated by the development of the kerkhof, church
cemetery. This separation by the dead may portray their view of the
status of the Slave Lodge. The Fort, Garden, Slave Lodge, and Tower of
the Church is still preserved today.
FORT
de GOEDE HOOP IN TAFELBAIJ
AM van Rensburg
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First
Fort of Jan van Riebeeck
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The
VOC wanted to establish a hospital and garden at the Cape, where their
ship's personnel could recover and obtain fresh food supplies. However
they first had to take care of safety and security. Fears of the
Khoikhoi, other European powers, wild animals and the weather would be
taken care of with the establishment of a fort. The fort was to serve
also as the administrative headquarters of the Company at the Cape.
Earlier
there was a temporary fort built at the Cape named Fort Sandenburgh. It
was established after the ship Nieu
Haerlem ran aground
on 25 March 1647, after which the 62 survivors built a place of safety
in the sand dunes. They were only rescued on April 1648.
When
the first settlers arrived on 6 April 1652 at the Southeaster windswept
Cape, it must have been an ordeal. The first number of months they lived
in tents and under canvass. At first they built a little hut for Jan van
Riebeeck. However their first concern was to establish a fort. The site
was chosen to be close to where a little river flowed into the bay. This
fort was built with earth, in the shape of a square with a bastion at
each corner. The earthen walls did not stand up to the wind and the rain
and was in need of constant repair. The water from the stream was
diverted into a moat for extra protection. At the back they had a cattle
enclosure. On 4 June 1652 van Riebeeck gave Willem Wijlant and his wife
permission to move into the fort and on the 6 June Wijlant's wife had
son.
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One
of the earliest drawings
of the Cape
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Aerial
view of 5 instutions
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First
Fort of Jan van Riebeeck
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The
fort was named after the ship Goede Hoop. Was the ship named after the
Cape? The four corners of the fort were named after the other four
ships: Drommedaris,
Walvis, Oliphant, and Reijger.
The citadel's roof was seven higher than the outside wall of the fort.
Beneath it was a cellar five feet deep. Another cellar excavated under
one of the points were used as a dungeon.
Eventually
in 1665 it was decided to build Fort de Goede Hoop. The ship Amersfoort which
arrived 23 April 1665 brought the plans and illustrations for the new
fort, Resolusies van die Politieke Raad Vol I p 332, 333. This new fort
was to be situated to the East of the previous fort. It was to be built
from granite, quarried at Signal Hill and Devil's Peak. The mortar was
made from sea-shell lime and burned sandstone. The floor was to be
covered with blue slate from Robben Island. It was to be in the shape of
a pentagon with bastions at each corner. The bastions were named: Buuren,
Leerdam, Oranje, Nassauand Catzenellenbogen.
They planned to build a moat 46 meter wide all the way around it,
however it was only built 18 meters wide. At first the labourers were
sailors and soldiers from passing ships. Work halted in May 1667 after
the Peace treaty of Breda. When war threatened again work recommenced in
January 1672, the labourers were now European soldiers, African slaves
and Khoikhoi. The main entrance faced north between bastions of Catzenellenbogen and Buuren.
This caused problems with storms and the tide, and it was difficult for
ox wagons to travel through the sand. A new entrance was made in 1682
between the bastions of Buuren and Leerdam and
the old entrance was closed. A bell tower was constructed over the
entrance in 1682.
In
1685 van Rheede ordered a wall to be built across the courtyard, this
wall was 116 meters long and 12 meters high. This divided the castle
into two, the fore court and the rear court. The rear court contained
the barracks, cellars, kitchens, stores and workshops. The fore court
contained the offices and residences. Simon van der Stel built houses on
both sides of the wall, including a new governor's residence and council
chambers. The Governor's office was known as "de Kat".
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Van
Staden drawing of 1710, with fort on the left hand side.
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By
1743 the sea had receded away from the castle, and was still receding at
about one pace a year. The castle was now standing high and dry far away
from the beach.
The
Cape which was meant to be a safe haven did not up to expectations,
since the rede/harbour
saw some great tragedies: in 1697, 1722, 1728, 1737, 1790, where East
Indiamen were lost with many crew.
The
Fort was never used in conflict with any foreign powers. The Fort is
today one of the best preserved VOC defense buildings of the Company,
and the oldest European building at the Cape.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
AJ Boeseken: Jan van Riebeeck en sy Gesin
UA Seemann: Fortifications of the Cape Peninsula 1647 - 1829
CR Boxer: The Dutch Seaborne Empire
PW Laidler A Tavern of the Ocean
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