CAPE TOWN FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

The Story of The Grove Primary School
and the
Tercentenary of the Feldhausen Estate
(1660 - 1960)

FOREWORD

Proudly, but with humble heart, I accede to the Committee's request for a foreword to the story of our school.
This is indeed a unique publication for not many schools in this young country of ours can boast a history that goes back as far as ours.
The authoress, Miss G. A. de Smidt, is far too well known to all who have ever been associated with the school during the last decade, to require any introduction.
This booklet is a condensed form of a more detailed history of the school and its environs, the manuscript of which reposes in a wall cabinet in our school hall.
It is of course quite impossible to thank Miss de Smidt adequately for the compilation of this book which must have necessitated countless hours of weary research.

And if sincerity and enthusiasm are the success of good writing, here is the answer.

The story is told simply and fascinatingly, without any disturbing embellishments and breathes affection for the school throughout. Nor must the School Committee be forgotten for if it had not been for their interest and perseverance, Miss de Smidt's "Magnum opus" would not have reached the printers.
Their names are worth recording: Mr. H. 1. Cohen, Past-Chairman; Mr. N. Chicken, Chairman; Mrs. Q. Silbowitz, Secretary; Mr. E. Shapiro, Vice-Chairman; Messrs. P. W. Fairbrother, R. B. Scott, J. S. Cruickshank, R. Charters.

This booklet deserves to be widely read by all who are in any way connected with the school.
I wish it a safe and prosperous passage.

M. JONGSMA.

THE STORY

Our School was built in 1885, on one of the oldest, most beautiful and most historic estates in the country - "Velthuysen," granted to J. D. de Beer in 1660, and named by him after his wife, Anna van Velthuysen.
In 1710, the estate was owned by the Vice-Governor of the Cape, William He10t, who in all probability built the homestead, later known as the Herschel Hotel.
It then passed into the hands of Jan Meindert Cruywagen, Jan Frederik Kirsten, V. A. Schönberg, Sir John Herschel and R. J. Jones, who changed the name Feldhausen to "The Grove."
At his death in 1884, the estate was cut up and sold, and ArchWest Jones bought the homestead and some of the ground, which he presented to the Diocesan College.
"Bishops" and the St. Saviour's Grammar School, Claremont, amalgamated, and the Feldhausen School was built as their combined junior school.
By March, 1885, the first two sections, consisting of a large general schoolroom and two good classrooms were completed, and a short reservice was held by the Bishop in Holy Week.
The substantial and handsome building of Table Mountain sandwas completed by the erection of the Warden's room, two other classrooms, porches and belfry.
Two odd-shaped meadows, surrounded by oaks and extending from the School as far as Grove Walk, provided generous playing fields for the pupils, and the homestead, Feldhausen, accommodated the Warden and his boarders.
It is to be hoped that the boys were not too young to appreciate a little of the historic significance of their hostel, and the fact that the great astronomer, Sir John Herschel, had lived there before them, in the days of crinolines, cravats and gracious living.
The homestead, built in the old Cape Dutch style with a central gable, a thatched roof, a stoep with seats at either end, and a flight of broad steps, flanked by enormous oaks, had not changed. The two-foot-walls of river stone and sunbaked bricks, moulded according to the metric system, used before the British Occupation, were there to dull their noise, and stinkwood joists were strong beneath their feet. There were the original yellowwood doors with handwrought iron hinges and a large entrance hall with a floor of heavy, rich slate-grey Batavian flagstones.
There must have been traces of many of the old features of the estate, the wide and extensive Stonepine Avenue leading east, the cross avenue of oaks extending as far as the Vineyard fields, the half morgen of natural forest, the spring from which the estate obtained abundant water, the capacious coach-house, the stable, the sheds for cows, the circular dairy and the slave quarters, which today form the original part of "The Grove House" in Carbrook Avenue. Perhaps the guest cottage, complete with stable and coach-house was also there.
The Feldhausen boarders could not roam over the whole extent of the original farm of 99 morgen, but they may have wandered as far south as "Herschel", a home which was built by V. A. Schönberg's son, and which now forms part of the Herschel Girls' School.
The boys must have played around if not inside the two hexagonal sentry-boxes, one of which is today the lone survivor of all the old buildings of the estate.
During their playtimes, the boys must have gazed curiously at the Herschel Obelisk, which was in such close proximity to their School, and they must have learnt then or later of the great man, who had spent lonely nights on that spot, studying the stars through his giant telescope.

John Frederick William Herschel was the only child of Sir William Herschel, the astronomer, who discovered Uranus.

He was educated first at Eton and later at St. John's College, Cambridge. He was an accomplished mathematician and had a wide knowledge of the classics, of Latin and Greek of music and of art:

Later he studied law, but returned to science and joined his father, doing practical astronomy for the first time.

When his father died in 1822, John Herschel inherited ample means and all the telescopes and apparatus his father had used, and with a sense of filial duty he set to work to finish the survey of the Northern hemibegun by his father.
It was when this task was completed that Sir John Herschel (he was knighted by King William IV) conceived the idea in 1831 of taking his telescope to a station in the Southern hemisphere, in order to extend the survey to cover the whole of the heavens.
On his arrival at Feldhausen, in 1834, Sir John immediately set up his 20 ft. telescope and began this work, which he completed during his four years at the Cape. "Herschel the Energetic," as he has been called, was no ordinary man. No one could keep pace with his continuous urge to be producing something, and all he wanted was more and more work. It is thought that he rarely slept and just changed his occupation when he could carry on no longer.
He was a highly accomplished chemist, and spent much of his time setting up experiments. The Science Museum in London describes him as one of the "Fathers of Photography," and with the aid of his camera Lucida (an optical instrument which gave a clear image, which could be traced in detail on paper) he made 250 sketches while at Feldhausen. These included 25 of Cape wild flowers, which were painted by his wife, Lady Herschel (Sir John was an eminent botanist).

The Herschel family, now living in England, presented these original sketches to the South African Library in 1952.

In the South African Archives are to be found many of Sir John's astronomical observations, also much of his correspondence with his great friend and colleague, Sir Thomas Maclear. Together they studied, among other things, weather and tides in Simons Bay and Table Bay.
Herschel's general influence on culture and learning at the Cape was great. He gave numerous lectures on a wide variety of subjects, for he was scientist, poet and classicist, and he with a small select band, laid the foundation of education in South Africa, and helped to build it up after he returned to England.

Herschel was also a great family man and found time to devote to his wife and six children.

After four years, the family returned to England, where Herschel was feted and lionised and where he was made a baronet by Queen Victoria at her coronation in 1838.
When Sir John Herschel was about to leave the Colony, the South African Literary and Scientific Institution, of which he was President, presented him with a gold medal and also raised a fund for the purpose of erecting a substantial structure on the site of the 20 ft. reflector, in the garden of Sir John's late residence at Feldhausen.
In 1838, the erection of the Obelisk was finally determined on and it was decided that a column of Craigleith stone from a quarry near Edinburgh was to be used. A plan of the proposed obelisk was forwarded to two professors of Edinburgh, who kindly undertook the necessary superintendence of the work.

In August, 1841, the obelisk, in packing cases, arrived in Table Bay. The boys of the early Feldhausen School were not there to watch, but in excavating the foundation which was of black sand, it was found necessary to go down 4 ft. 10 ins. to arrive at the ironstone gravelly bed, the substratum of the country about Feldhausen.

The masonry foundation was formed of concrete, built up in courses of 12 or 14 ins., and composed of ironstone, gravel and lime mortar, well grouted together. On this masonry bed, a granite platform, 9 ft. 6 ins.square was laid, also the small column, fixed by Sir John Herschel on the site of the 20 ft. reflector. This mark was removed for a few days, in order to bring the masonry foundation to the proper height, but the mark was later relaid with mathematical correctness.
How excited the boys would have been to watch, while glass bottles, hermetically sealed and filled with treasures, were buried below the Herschel mark! There were silver and copper coins in them, a few inscripmedals, and medals of the South African Institution, struck in silver, on the obverse of which were engraved some notices, statistical and geograof the Colony :- The discoveries of Captain Ross in the Southern Polar regions in 1841 and the operation of measuring the arc of the meriin 1842. There was a map of the Colony and engravings of nebulae, observed at Slough, from 1825 - 1833 by Sir John Herschel and a plan of Sir Thomas MacIear's triangulation, connecting the site of Feldhausen with the Royal Observatory and the site of La Caille's observatory in Strand Street, Cape Town.
The bottles were carefully fixed in a block of teak wood, scooped out on purpose, the granite platform was brought to its correct level and the Herschel mark was refixed and filled in with cement.
How the boys would have stared open mouthed, as the large blocks of Craigleith stone, some weighing 2 tons, were swung into position from heavy spars erected for the purpose! All was completed by the 15th February, 1842.
When the boys arrived in 1885, they must have wandered about the 6 ft. square base, perhaps guessing at the height of the 12 ft. pyramidal part, and pressing their noses against the glass on the South face. No doubt they attempted to understand the inscription on the bronze plate, while the more observant among them may have noticed that the sides of the obelisk faced north, south, east and west.
Sir John Herschel, worn out with dynamic living, died in 1871, in his eightieth year. He was given a national funeral and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
In 1890 the Obelisk was given a prominent place in the Coat of Arms of the Claremont Municipality, and in 1906 the site was given to the Municipality by the Herschel family. Today it is a Historic Monument.

In 1899, the Diocesan College sold Feldhausen and the playing fields for £17,000 and vacated the School in 1901.
The Feldhausen residence was bought by Mr. Baron who added a storey.

The arrival of new pupils from the St. Saviour's Church School, with Theophilus James John Beechey as principal, marks a new era in the history of our School.
The Feldhausen Public School was soon to become known as “Beechey's School” while the Claremont Public School, whose principal was Mr. French, was known as "French's School." Great was the rivalry between "Beechey's Beetles" and "French's Frogs" ! Beechey enjoyed the devotion of his staff and pupils alike. He had a fine sense of humour and the atmosphere in the School was informal and happy.
Mr. Beechey addressed all his pupils, whether girls or boys as "son" and at recess he was invariably found, pipe in mouth, walking to and fro on the then open ground beyond Feldhausen Avenue.

Usually three or four of the "small fry" would be with him, arms linked in his, keeping up an animated conversation.

Apart from their work, there was much to interest the pupils at Feldhausen. All forms of sport were encouraged, and there were cups and shields to be competed for. Cadets played a very prominent part in the early history of the School, and they had their own rifle range in the grounds.

The girls attended cookery classes and the boys woodwork at French's School.

In 1905, Feldhausen received a £ for £ grant from the Education Department, and in 1907 the School was transferred to the Cape School Board.
By 1911 the staff and pupils were so cramped for want of room, that the present school building was erected in front of the old stone building.

This necessitated the removal of the front porch with its flight of steps, together with the two side porches.

These Gothic porches were so beautifully designed that they would have graced any church, and with their removal the old building lost much of its beauty.

A dividing wall between two old classrooms was removed and also two large fireplaces, one at each end of the hall.
Mr. Beechey retired in 1923 to take Holy Orders, and became Rector of the Good Shepherd Church at Protea.
He was chairman of the School Committee and took a personal interest in the affairs of the School until his death in 1941.

The Beechey Bequest, held in trust for the School, provides annual prizes for the best girl and boy pupils in Std. V, whose names appear on the Honours Board in our Hall.

Mr. JT. Hart, who succeeded Mr. Beechey as principal in 1923, had served under him as an assistant for three years.
He was a strict disciplinarian and a great athlete, and held the rank of captain in the Active Citizen Force.

Thus, under his guidance and instruction, the School excelled at cadets, athletics and all forms of sport. Mr. Hart was the chief organiser of the Peninsula Primary Schools' Athletic Championships, held annually at the Newlands Rugby Ground.

The work produced by the pupils was of a high order and annual exhibitions were held.
Mr. Hart was very keen on singing and many plays were produced by the School, in the Claremont Town Hall and School Hall.
In 1934 a ceremony took place at the Obelisk, during the Herschel Centenary Celebrations which lasted a week.
In 1939 Mr. Hart died, and the School lost a principal who had devoted 20 years in its service.
A plaque put up in his memory in the entrance of our School, commemorates these years of hard work and devotion.

The pupils of Feldhausen and children, who lived in the neighhad for years been free to play on and about an old tomb in the vicinity of the School. The slab had served them as a slide, and one and all they declared that a horse lay buried there.

How they would have stopped their play to listen, had the following story been told to them!
In 1803, Freiherr von Buchenroder, his wife and family, arrived in Simon's Bay from Germany.
His wife, the Baroness Fredericke, was before her marriage one of the ladies-in-waiting to Queen Maria Theresa of Austria.

When the Queen died in 1780, Fredericke returned to Prussia and married Baron von Buchenroder a year later. They had one daughter, whom they named Maria Theresa Elenora, known as Theresa, and two sons.
When Theresa was 17 years of age, the family sailed to the Cape in the Vrouw Alida Theodora, accompanied by young Mr. J. B. C. Knobel, whom Theresa later married, and a large colony of work-people including a doctor, governess, servants, shepherd (for merino sheep), gardener, winewheelwrights, smith, coppersmith, miller, weavers and spinners, cooper, cabinet maker, tanner, painter, glassmaker, tailor, etc., to found and occupy a colony with its own private harbour, either at Vleesch or Plettenberg Bays, on freehold ground, bought from the Batavian Governin Holland.

Unfortunately the scheme was delayed, and the Baron returned to Holland to confer with the Ministry, where he died.

The outbreak of war in Europe and the capture of the Cape by the British, completely upset the plans, but the family and colonists remained and settled at the Cape. Mr. J. Knobel and his family, including old Lady von Buchenroder, lived at Uitenhage.
In 1822 they returned to Cape Town and in 1827 his wife went on a health visit to Veldhuysen, the country residence of Mr. V. A. Schönberg, and died there and was buried on the estate.
When her mother died at Wynberg in 1837, she was buried next to her daughter, the two graves being built up in the old Dutch pattern and joined across the top with a tablet.
Family papers state, "When the farm was sold to Sir John Herschel, a servitude was kept on this bit of ground, so that the graves should not be destroyed. Hence, no municipality nor anyone has a right to destroy nor cast away any of it."
But to return to our School- Mr. H. Smith (later Dr. Smith) had succeeded Mr. Hart as principal in 1939, and drastic changes had come about.
The Feldhausen Public School had become the Grove Primary School. The school colours, which had been red and green were changed, and now those discarded by the Wynberg Girls' High School were adopted. The badge, which formerly was a shield with the initials F.P.S. disappeared and with it the old motto "Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis."

During this time the number of pupils was very much reduced.
Dr. Smith retired from teaching in 1946 and joined the staff of the Alexandra Institution at Maitland.
When Mr. M. Jongsma, B.A. took over as principal in 1947, it was with a staff of only four assistants.
Steadily the numbers of pupils increased, until in 1959, the enrolnumbered 377 and the staff 12.

This warranted additional accommodation and in 1951 a new classwas erected. In 1953 six prefabricated rooms were constructed on the playing fields. Thus the School consisted of two blocks of classseparated by a public road.

This, Obelisk Road, was finally closed in 1957 and in 1958 a fence, to enclose the entire grounds, was erected.
In 1959 new cloakrooms were built and the old block, on the left of the Obelisk, was demolished.

A Parent Teachers' Association was founded in 1948, and this has proved to be of inestimable benefit to the School. Owing largely to the efforts of the parents, the school funds at present (1960) amount to over R4000 (£2,000).
Large areas of the playground have been asphalted or planted with grass, and our trees are many and varied. The gumtree in the girls' playground is older than the school. In the boys' playground a very rare wild Cape chestnut tree, the last of many that once grew on the old estate, was felled in error in 1957 when Grove Avenue was being widened. These trees were specially mentioned by Sir John Herschel.
The School has recently been presented with two wild almond trees, grown from the historic hedge at Kirstenbosch, as part of the original van Riebeeck hedge was planted on the boundary of the old Velthuysen farm, in the vicinity of the Main Road.

This year, 1960, marks the tercentenary of the hedge and of the Feldhausen Estate.
Our School is as attractive inside as it is outside, and all things are being well cared for.

The pupils take a keen interest in sport, and enjoy educational films once a week. The boys still attend woodwork classes at the Claremont Public School, and once a term the upper standards spend a day at Kirstenbosch, where nature classes are conducted.
Dancing lessons are held once a week, and a special elocution teacher conducts speech lessons throughout the School, while another corrects speech defects, where necessary.

Annual school concerts or prizegivings are held.

Everything possible is done for the welfare and good of the pupils, and all who visit the School are struck by its homely and happy atmosphere.
Changes have come about during recent years. In 1934 the Feldhausen residence became the Herschel Hotel, and in 1945 the property was bought by three members of the Hebrew community.
In 1958 this historic building was demolished to make way for the Hebrew Nursery School, and the country lost one of its oldest links with the past.
In our School Hall, in a wall cabinet, is an album containing a fuller history than that given here, and on the walls are photographs of Sir John Herschel, reproductions of his sketches, old title deeds and old school photographs.
May this wealth of tradition and historical background that is ours, prove an inspiration to all who pass through the School, and may we emulate, in some small measure, the shining example set us by Sir John Herschel, who it has been said, accomplished more in the four years he spent at the Cape, than many a man in his life time.

"SPES IN ARDUIS"