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Two Blockhouses
Wolseley, Western Cape

ROYAL ENGINEERS: Architect

Date:1901
Type:Blockhouse
Status:Extant

 


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Coordinates:
33°26'55.01" S 19°12'22.37" E Alt: 263m

Two blockhouses guarding the railway bridge about 200 metres apart.

Transcription of information board:

WOLSELEY BLOCKHOUSES
These Blockhouses were built in 1901 during the Anglo-Boer War.
They were built by the British to protect the railway bridges from
Boer Attacks.
The stone is local while the remaining materials were imported
from Britain.
These Blockhouses could house 20 men with water, ammunition
and supplies stored on the lower floor. The "living" area was the
middle floor and was accessible by a retractable ladder and the top
floor was the "look-out" deck.
Only 1000 of these Blockhouses were built and few have survived.
They were very effective barriers and few saw any action.


Books that reference Two Blockhouses

Green, Simon C . 2022. Anglo-Boer War blockhouses : a field guide. Johannesburg: Porcupine Press. pg 314-317