THE OLD DROSTDY, GEORGE
The story around the drostdy situated at the roundabout at the top end of York Street goes like this: apparently it was completed in 1815 to provide a residence and office for the first magistrate of George, Adriaan van Kervel. However, I could not find any confirmation in the history records of the exact date of completion. Then in 1826 when the second magistrate (Van der Riet) and his family was on holiday disaster struck. Nearly the whole building was destroyed in a fire, but some parts could be saved and it was rebuilt. History states that in 1897 the building was turned into a boarding house and in 1903 it took another change to become the Victoria Hotel which apparently served famous pub lunches. Meanwhile Charles Sayers started a museum in a rented room in Courtney Street. The museum quickly expanded due to generous donations and moved to the Old… Read more >
