The History of Rhodes Cottage
(This page is currently researched we have information relating previous owners of Rhodes Cottage)
Rhodes purchased the Cottage 3 years before he died, although it might be considered as a short time – it was a notable period as Rhodes had such a short professional life (18-49), and its significance is that he died in the Cottage at his height of his career and resurgence of his political power.
Please view comprehensive text below about CJ Rhodes. Below illustrations shows the sparse Cottage display until about 1970.
Cape History & Cecil John Rhodes life, Muizenberg, Cape Town
Published from: https://www.capepointroute.co.za/moreinfoOther.php?aID=532
This small seaside cottage in Muizenberg is where Cecil John Rhodes spent his last days at the relatively young age of 49. Rhodes was an industrialist, imperialist, mining magnate, politician and philanthropist. You’ll see photos, clippings and caricatures revealing the man behind the legacy. Well worth a visit for those interested in Rhodes and Cape history. Also a fine indigenous mountainside garden.
Background:
Cecil John Rhodes bought this small house overlooking False Bay as a holiday cottage. It is also where he died in 1902 of tuberculosis. Cecil John Rhodes, born in Britain on 5th July 1854 was a colonial empire builder, and Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.
Rhodes was well known for his contribution to the formation of the sub continent. Rhodes was a staunch believer in British colonialism and used his influence to colonize Mashonaland, which was renamed “Rhodesia”. Rhodes was instrumental in bringing almost one million square miles of Africa under British domination. Northern and Southern Rhodesia later became the independent states known today as Zambia and Zimbabwe. He is buried at the burial site he himself chose in the Matopos Hills of Zimbabwe.
He was also a co-founder of the De Beers diamond mining company. By age 35 he controlled the largest diamond mining and trading companies in the whole of South Africa. He was also prime minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
He purchased, in 1899, a section of property along the Main Road, Muizenberg which included the cottage and site now known as Rhodes Cottage Museum. His health at this stage of his life was not good – he wanted to live near the sea and enjoy the fresh breezes from the south. Rhodes was a man of simple tastes and the furniture in the cottage was plain and sparse. He preferred this cottage to his other residences, including his Groote Schuur mansion in Rondebosch (now home to Kirstenbosch Gardens)
On the site was an existing cottage, which consisted of three large bedrooms and a living room, quite suitable for his bachelor lifestyle. In the grounds is a smaller cottage, (originally a fisherman’s cottage according to writer Lawrence Green) used over the years by different caretakers/curators and staff.
Cecil John Rhodes passed away in the cottage on 26th March 1902. The site remained in the possession of the Rhodes’ Trustees until it was donated to the Northern Rhodesian Government in 1932, and then to the City of Cape Town in 1937 on condition that the land and the buildings be regarded and kept as a Memorial to Cecil John Rhodes and that the land and buildings preserved by the City of Cape Town and kept in good repair. On 27th January 1938 Rhodes Cottage was declared a National Monument in the Government Gazette because of its “historical significance”. The Rhodes Cottage Museum was opened by the Mayor of Cape Town on 4 July 1953.
Exhibits:
The museum commemorates the life of Cecil John Rhodes – his ideals, achievements and death. The museum overlooks False Bay and has a glorious garden reflective of the man’s ties – English country and Cape fynbos. Anyone who is interested in the history of the Cape will enjoy a visit to the Rhodes Cottage Museum on the ’historical mile’ along Muizenberg’s Main Road.
The Cottage houses an interesting collection of photographs and editorial about the man, together with items of furniture associated with Cecil John Rhodes – including the long ‘conference table’ which was in the boardroom at de Beers and the wooden kist in which CJ Rhodes brought all his wordly possessions when he landed in South Africa.
It also has a tea garden, with great views over False Bay and a largely indigenous mountainside garden. The garden is reflective of the man’s ties – English country and Cape fynbos, and is beautiful. If the history of the Cape interests you, this museum is not to be missed.
Did you know?
When he died in 1902 Rhodes was one of the wealthiest men in the world. Part of his fortune was donated to education in the form of scholarships for potentially gifted students. The Rhodes Scholarship still exists today.
Opening Times:
Daily from 10h00 – 13h00 (Mon – Sun)
The Rhodes Cottage Museum, is run by the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society and manned by volunteer curators so it is worth checking if the museum is actually open. Phone 021 788 1816 or 021 3005727 to check if open, or 082 425 3092 to prebook a tour.
Admission:
Free but Donations Welcomed