Kimberley's Other Gems

There are three other gems in Kimberley: the Macgregor Museum, the Duggan-Cronin Photography Museum, and the Humphreys Gallery.   There's also a 'heritage walk' in the upscale part of town (starts at the Macgregor and takes about 45"-60") and leads you past some of the original mansions, home of the diamond magnates.  We opt to do this by car when we read the warning that the Museum is not responsible for the safety of those on foot and seniors are advised to travel in groups of three (three??).  Not much to see either on foot or by car but it is a lovely, tree-lined neighborhood, each house surrounded by the ever-present razor wire and armed response security warnings.

Back to the Macgregor.  It is a lovely old building with a gorgeous verandah and the whole place just reeks of Victorian gentility.

We are the only visitors and the admission fee is ridiculously modest - about $1 each.  Lest you think South Africa is not sensitive to those who are mobility-challenged, please note the wheelchair available to visitors.

As soon as we walk inside, we stop and exclaim 'It's the Gadsden Hotel!'  The Gadsden Hotel is an art deco architectural gem in Douglas AZ, within hailing distance of the Mexico border, and before coming away, we took a day trip there.   

Created as a tribute to a former mayor of Kimberley, the Macgregor is a memorial to costumes and uniforms of the mining era. the area's prehistory, and an in-depth display of the Siege of Kimberley which occurred during the Boer War and lasted 124 days from late 1899 to early1900.  Afterwards, the Macgregor became, in succession, a sanitorium, a hotel, and, in the 1930's, a convent.  

Next stop, the Duggan-Cronin Gallery where we are the only visitors.  In fact, we have to nose around to find someone to open the front door!  But the display of photos is absolutely stunning.  AM Duggan-Cronin started life in SA as a manager for the DeBeers company and started taking photographs as a hobby.  He soon gave up his 'day job' and spent 20 years wandering all over Africa (280K worth of wandering) with a local assistant and took over 80,000 photos of indigenous peoples.  He foresaw the day when they would no longer live as they did then nor dress as they had for centuries, and he wanted a record of pre-colonial life in Africa.  What's on display here is just a tiny sample, but they are breathtaking.  

And last was the Humphreys Gallery, an absolutely delightful and unexpected surprise.  Started in 1952 by William Humphreys, a Member of Parliament for Kimberley for 25 years, who donated his collection of paintings to the city, the original collection has been enhanced over the years to include an impressive collection of South African artists.  (Photographs inside were prohibited - alas!)

The sidewalk in front is adorned with a number of these mosaic boulders (mmmm . . . another project once we're home??)

And they have a lovely tea room (the Palete) in a serene garden - perfect for a rest stop before heading home.  

Oh, almost forgot, they also have a weekly movie night and this week's offering is The Dressmaker with Kate Winslet.  We're on schedule for that - and it's free!

Tomorrow we're off in search of the Magersfontein Battlefield and perhaps some animals!