151 High Street

Tucked away from the busy High Street, this sandstone residence is the home of local artist, Francois Tiran. Its wide verandahs, spacious out-buildings and large garden make it an ideal artist’s retreat. Built in the late 1890’s by a Mr Olivier, it has been in the same family for many years. The Olivier, Scholtz and Tiran descendants have resided comfortably in this typical Klein Karoo sandstone home for many decades.

Most of the original water-erven which were surveyed in 1847 when the town was planned, had large gardens so that the owners could cultivate vegetables and fruit. There was room for stables and fowl-runs and many households kept their own cow for their daily milk supply.

High Street was a busy route as it leads north to the Swartberg Pass built in 1898 which connected the town with the railway line at Prince Albert Road Station. Farmers were then able to transport their products to the lucrative markets of the diamond and gold fields. This bustling street in Oudtshoorn had no fewer than three hotels and several boarding-houses as well as wagon-makers and blacksmiths’ shops.