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Date: 1849 Type: Government Buildings Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 29°07'13.41" S 26°12'59.83" E Alt: 1387m

In 1849, Major Henry Douglas Warden had built a small thatch-roofed government building which still remains in St George's Street and which served the [Boer] Republic as its First Raadsaal. Transcript of National Monuments Commission plaque: OU RAADZAAL IN 1849 DEUR MAJOOR WARDEN VIR 'N SKOOL GEBOU. HIER WAS OOK SITTINGS VAN DIE WETGEWENDE RAAD VANAF 18 JULIE 1849 TOT 3 JANUARIE 1852. DS. ANDREW MURRAY HIER OP 6 MEI 1849 BEVESTIG EN IS KERKDIENSTE TOT 23 MEI 1852 GEHOU. PRESIDENTE HOFFMAN IN 1854 EN BOSHOF IN 1855 HIER INGESWEER. VOLKSRAADSITTINGS VANAF 28 MAART 1854 TOT FEBRUARIE 1856. VLEUELS EEN IN 1885 EN DIE ANDER IN 1891 VIR MUSEUM DOELEINDES AANGEBOU. OPGERIG DEUR DIE HISTORIESE MONUMENTE - KOMMISSIE. ________________ OLD RAADZAAL BUILT AS A SCHOOL BY MAJOR WARDEN IN 1849. USED FOR SESSIONS OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FROM 18TH JULY 1849 TO 3RD JANUARY 1852. THE INDUCTION OF REV. ANDREW MURRAY TOOK PLACE HERE ON 6TH MAY 1849 AND CHURCH SERVICES WERE HELD TO 23RD MAY 1852. PRESIDENTS HOFFMAN IN 1854 AND BOSHOF IN 1855 WERE HERE SWORN IN. THE VOLKSRAAD MET HERE FROM 28TH MARCH 1854 TO FEBRUARY, 1856. WINGS ADDED. ONE IN 1885 AND THE OTHER IN 1891 FOR MUSEUM PURPOSES. ERECTED BY THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS COMMISSION. Was declared a National Monument, now a Provincial Heritage Site. Books that reference Raadsaal - First Hartdegen, Paddy. 1988. Our building heritage : an illustrated history. South Africa: Ryll's Pub. Co. on behalf of the National Development Fund for the Building Industry. pg 67 Nienaber, PJ , Smit, JD & Botes, SM. 1987. Vrystaatse Argitektuur - Historiese-argitektoniese ontwikkeling van die Vrystaatse boukuns. Pretoria: Stigting NALN. pg 25-26 Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1989. Historical Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: Struikhof Publishers. pg 126 Richardson, Deirdré. 2001. Historic Sites of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers. pg 171 Schoeman, Karel. 1980. Bloemfontein: die ontstaan van 'n stad. Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau. pg 24 Van Schoor, MCE . 1988. President Brand Street. Bloemfontein: Die Stad Bloemfontein. pg 9 & 12, 3 ill.