Build up your knowledge of the building stones of Cape Town

Architecturally, Cape Town is described as a fascinating mosiac of Asian, European and African traditions mixed with increasingly modern elements. For those who wish to build up their knowledge of the city’s building stones, brick by brick, there will be a talk at the Iziko South African Museum, on Tuesday 30 September at 19:00 by Dr Douglas Cole from the Council for Geoscience, on ‘The Building Stones of Cape Town’.

Some of the stones which comprise our early buildings include Malmesbury Group hornfels, Cape porphyritic granite, Table Mountain quartzitic sandstone whilst later buildings contain limestone from Saldanha and England and granite from Scotland. Today, the source of building stone has widened considerably so that a total of 45 different stones are now present in the buildings of central Cape Town.

Hosted by Friends of the South African Museum, entry to the event is free for Friends and R20 for guests. Come early and enjoy a glass of sherry with Friends. Advance booking is not required.

Following the lecture, Dr Cole, who holds a doctorate from Southampton University and has authored a publication on the building stones of Cape Town, will then present an approximately 4-hour geological walking tour on Saturday 4 October at 09:00. Participants can get up close to an impressive array of building stones, quarried from sites as nearby as Table Mountain or as far-flung as England, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Spain. Some of the buildings on the ‘tour of inspection’ are the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town’s oldest building, with its Malmesbury Group hornfels, the City Hall containing Bath Stone, St George’s Cathedral which contains iridescent larvikite from the shores of Oslo Fjord and many others.

The cost of the walking tour is R50 for Friends and R86 for guests. Advance booking and payment are essential.

Bookings and enquiries to Maxine at 072 225 6893 or email samfriends@iziko.org.za

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