Voortrekker Settler Cottage

This site is one of the early Voortrekker Settler Cottages, though certain elements have changed over the years(e.g. the thatched roof has been replaced). Typical features of Voortrekker cottages include thick walls of mud brick or shale, yellowwood floors and ceilings, and haylofts. In 2012, CyArk partnered with the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN), the African Conservation Trust (ACT), and Heritage KwaZulu-Natal to form a new chapter, CyArk South Africa. The site was scanned as part of a UKZN Heritage Mapping Unit project to digitally document historical buildings in Pietermaritzburg. Known for its beautiful examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, the Voortrekker Settlers Cottage is located in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the capital of the KwaZulu-Natal province. The city was founded in 1838 by Dutch-speaking Voortrekkers (early Dutch settlers) who moved away from the British authorities in the Cape and headed north into Natal. The town was laid out according to the traditional Voortrekker grid pattern and from 1840 people quarried shale and manufactured bricks to construct the thatched Voortrekker cottages like this one. External Project Link: \N Additional Info Link: N/A