Department of History

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Browsing Department of History by browse.metadata.advisor "Burden, Matilda"

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    Die bydrae van Walther Blersch as stadsklerk tot die argitektoniese nalatenskap van Stellenbosch
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-03) Vorster, Leon Willem; Burden, Matilda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Walther Felix Alois Blersch was born in Stellenbosch in 1888. He was the oldest son of Fridolin Blersch ( 1861 - 1897) who was the second head of the first Agricultural School in South Africa. After the early death of his father in 1897, his mother with her family returned in 1901 to Germany where Walther continued his scholastic career. Between 1908 and 1912 he studied at the "Konigliche Technische Hochschule" in Stuttgart except for a short period between 1910 and 1911 when he studied architecture at the "Konigliche Bayerische Technische Hochschule" in München. After obtaining his Engineering Diploma in Stuttgart, he entered the study of Prof. Peter Behrens. Thereafter he joined the "lntendantur XIII. (K. W.) Armeekorps" as an architect. He was interned at Ruhleben at the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914. After his release in 1919 he married Dr. Grete Hohrath (1890 - 1938). As from 1920 he worked as instructor for the "Zentralstelle für Gewerbe und Handel" in Germany; as bank clerk in Utrecht, Netherlands and back to Germany as architect for Rudolf Behr. On being appointed Town Clerk of Stellenbosch in 1924 he returned to his town of birth. After loosing his wife to cancer in 1938, he married Judith Nel. As one of Stellenbosch's most popular and loved Town Clerks he made many friends. Upon Blersch's arrival in Stellenbosch during 1924, most of the existing buildings were Cape Dutch, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian. With his interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement, the Mediterranean, Art Nouveau and Art Deco Styles, he strives for harmony or meaningful contrast and co-existance by searching for the contemporary equivalents of the essential qualities in Stellenbosch's historical architecture. Today it can be seen in various public buildings and structures which were designed by him among which are the boundary walls behind the Seminary and in front and west of the Town Hall, a double arched bell-tower for the Rhenish Church, a school for the Anglican Church in Joubert Street (now demolished), the well-known Rozenhof in Dorp Street, an inspiring gate and pillars in front of the Sanatorium, pergola and public conveniences for the Jan Marais Park and Agricultural Hall as well as furniture for the council-chamber. He is also acknowledged as the architect of his own home at 1 Mankadan Street and those of his various friends and acquaintances. Walther Blersch's term as Town Clerk officially ended in 1956, but for the next 15 years he remained with the Municipality in advisory capacity and attended Board meetings up to his death on 19 August 1971.
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    Elim : a cultural historical study of a Moravian mission station at the Southern extreme of Africa
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2001-03) Van der Hoven, Liane; Burden, Matilda; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    Elim, a mission station of the Moravian Church, was established in 1824. The settlement is situated 48 kilometres from the southern extreme of the African continent. Vogelstruiskraal farm, is a sparsely populated area, a unique community has developed where the congregation is the community and the community is the congregation. ...
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    Die koloniale manifestasie van die Neo-Gotiese kerkboustyl op die Tuinroete van Suid-Afrika
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) De Swardt, Ignatius P.; Burden, Matilda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the 12th century the Ab Suger, a church leader from near Paris in France, initiated a new approach to church architecture, the Gothic style. He diverted from the existing traditions and utilized pointed arches as one of the basic components of the new style. Pointed arches, unlike normal arches, distribute load-carrying weight not only downwards, as normal arches do, but also sideways. Strategically placed flying buttresses can help neutralize the thrust to the sides and reduce the weight on walls. Walls no longer had to be massive and it became possible to utilize big parts of the walls for windows, which were filled with brightly coloured glass. The style deliberately made use of height and enclosed spaces as a design element, to an extent unknown until that time. For some four centuries cathedrals in this style were built all over Europe, before the style was replaced with the coming of the Renaissance. The 19th century saw the coming of a style of Gothic Revival. New building materials had become available and there were fundamental differences between the original Gothic style and the Neo-Gothic (or Gothic Revival) style. In some instances elements of the original style lost their functions and were applied in a purely decorative function in the Gothic Revival style. With the colonization of Africa, the Neo-Gothic style came to South Africa. It took root locally and became part of South African church architecture. Local conditions required that some adaptations be made and several varieties of the Neo-Gothic style became part of the South African architectural landscape. Many church buildings were constructed in South Africa in this style during the last century and a half. The ones older than sixty years enjoy some measure of protection under current legislation relating to heritage conservation. It became evident that within the variety of Neo-Gothic idioms a number of churches have become so simplified that only some characteristics of the style have remained. Throughout the study it was indicated how the significance of a building and its architectural style also impact on the non-material culture of a community.
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    n Kultuurhistoriese ontleding van gebou en bewoner : gevallestudies van Residensie en Avondrust, Graaff-Reinet
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1998) Malherbe, Johanna Francina; Burden, Matilda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In order to do an analysis of the cultural history of the Graaff-Reinet houses Residency and A vondrust, it is necessary to study the history of the town and the different architectural trends which had an influence on its buildings. The first part of this study is a short historical sketch of Graaff-Reinet to place the establishment of the town (1786) as well as other important events in perpective. Church history, economic development, education, architecture and conservation, of which all had an influence on the development of the town, are discussed. When acquainted with the history of the town, it is possible to place the buildings Residency and A vondrust in context. The different facets of Cape Dutch architecture are discussed to form a framework in which Residency (built around 1819) can be evaluated. The architectural details of the gables, doors, windows, walls, ground-plan, roof, loft and kitchen of the house are discussed in depth. Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classical gables as well as ground-plan development of Cape Cutch houses in general are addressed. The architecture of A vondrust is placed in context by means of a description of the style revival trend and attendant styles such as Neo Queen Anne, Edwardian Baroque, Cape Dutch Revival, Eclecticism and the Arts and Crafts Movement. The architects who played a role in these revivals are also discussed. In the discussion of the architecture of Avondrust the gables, roof, outer doors, windows and verandas receive attention. Reference is also made to the walls and interior. Current as well as previous owners of both houses and the roles they play in the community of Graaff-Reinet are reviewed. Historical events which occurred during their lifetimes and their ways of life give the reader a unique perspective on the history of the town.
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    n Ondersoek na die volkskundige waarde van die Versamelde Werke van C.J. Langenhoven
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1997) Viljoen, Lorraine; Burden, Matilda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this investigation was to recreate the image of an era, the era of C. J. Langenhoven, using the folkloristic elements in his Collected Works. It also attempts to demonstrate how he was at the same time a product and co-creator of that era . The civilization and culture of his time contributed to create the person and the artist, who gave back that which he received, in an enriched form, the form of literature. The contents of this study focusses on the cultural conditions in which Langenhoven functioned. The way in which the folk language is expressed in his Collected Works is examined. The Western European heritage of folk beliefs transferred to this continent of Africa is reflected in his work in an essentially folkloristic way. Langenhoven's struggle for the recognition of his language, Afrikaans, is legendary. That same language, those same social cultural and economic conditions have yet again become controversial, on the threshold of of new millennium. His literary heritage is an image of his own times. It also becomes an image of an emotional value, a distinctive culture, in which the Afrikaans speaker of the 1990's can still recognize himself. Langenhoven guides his readers in an exploration of their cultural roots and their history. He provokes them to preserve, to nourish those roots, so that they are not lost, but continue to grow, both in scope and in intensity.