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Date: 1891 Type: Unknown Status: Unknown

Another pet project of Cecil Rhodes’ was the Kenilworth model village, a specially designed settlement for the white De Beers employees built some six kilometres north of Kimberley proper. The farm Kenilworth was bought from Mr Grewer by De Beers and Rhodes convinced the directors of De Beers to build a model village for miners who worked hard and should have better accommodation than the tin huts in sunburnt surroundings they were living in. On 2 September 1888 Rhodes had taken Sydney Stent the architect to the area and spoken to him of his idea, instructing him to prepare preliminary drawings. This was completed and the De Beers Board passed the plans for the village on 11 November 1888. It was a model village consisting of a primary school, club, weather station, tennis courts, croquet courts, a swimming pool, a rifle club, athletic club, a cricket and football field, a postal, money order and telegraph office, a library and a tram service which opened on 1 February 1896. The club, which later became known as the institute, consisted of a billiard room, a free library, a reading room and a hall for social activities. The weather station had state of the art equipment and was run by J.R. Sutton. The station was moved to the De Beers workshops in Hull Street in 1928. It was closed entirely in 1946. It was one of the first examples of the 'garden city' movement in South Africa. The desert-like Kenilworth came into existence in 1889 and after completion, it was known across the country as the best accommodation provided by a company. It resembled an oasis of trees and plants. As time went by, mining decreased and new accommodation was built for De Beers employees at Cassandra. The old house named Yonder, which was initially home to the managing director of De Beers, was made available to the Northern Cape Mental Health Society. Later the society bought the village of Kenilworth from the Kenilworth Utility Company. It has since been the home of mentally challenged children and adults in the form of Jannie Brink School and Yonder. (Summary by Paul v d Merwe from: kimberley.org.za) --------------------- It covers a space about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, upon land owned by De Beers Consolodated mines. The land was devided up into lots of about 80 by 100 feet, and upon these lots semi-detached houses were built, of brick with corrugated iron roofs, by De Beers Company. Nearly all of the houses are built of red burnt brick made at the brickfields in the neighborhood of Kimberley. The houses occupied by the unmarried men contain six rooms, and the other houses occupied by families contain from four to seven rooms. In the unmarried men's quarters each occupant has a room to himself. Nearly all the houses are built with verandas, and all the lots are planted with fruit trees, vines, and flowers, supplied by the Company. In laying out the town, the village was originally planned with four main avenues, bounded on the north by a bordering avenue, on the south by the main road to Kimberley, and intersected by a central avenue. Only two of the avenues are at present completed. They are broad well-made roads lined with blue and red eucalyptus, beefwood and pepper trees, and provided with sidewalks fronting the semi-detached villa-like residences. A circle at the junction of No. 1 and Central Avenues divides the residences of the married people from the quarters of the single men, who occupy a row of houses on the south side of the circle in the heart of the village. Unmarried men take their meals at the clubhouse. One of the main houses on this circle is occupied by the Cape Government for a post-office, telegraph-office and a post-office savings bank. On the other side of the circle bordering on the central avenue is a clubhouse, a large brick building containing a reading room, dining room, kitchen, and manager's rooms. This building, like the residences, has a veranda in front, and is surrounded by trees. On the north side of Central Avenue, opposide the clubhouse, is a primary school containing three rooms, in which the library of the town is placed. The village is wholly given up to residences; there are no stores or shops of any kind - only a chemist. All supplies come from Kimberley, and by special arrangement the schoolhouse is used on Sundays for worship and mission work, and on evenings during the week by various philanthropic and social organizations. The village is lighted by a few large arc lamps, and the houses by paraffin candles and kerosene. Just adjoining Kenilworth on the north is the orchard of the Company, containing about 8000 fruit trees and grape vines. Grapes and fruit from the orchard are largely distributed to employees, and sent to hospitals and charitable institutions. (Summary by Paul v d Merwe from: GF Williams - The Diamond Mines of South Africa Vol II (1905). -------------------- (The Bldg News 9 Jan 1891 ill; Financial Mail 11.1.85:44; Yuill 1984) All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.