The Big House (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

: ), or Smuts House, is a historic house in

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

, which was inhabited by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n statesman

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

and his family. Today, it is part of the Smuts House Museum.

History

The land on which the house is now situated was previously owned by Michiel Christiaan, son of

Voortrekker The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyon ...

Daniel Elardus Erasmus, who subdivided his farm between his three sons. It was bought by Jan Smuts in 1908 for £900. Twelve squatter families were inhabiting the property in 1908 and remained for a few years. Smuts purchased a wood-and-iron building for £300 during a sale in

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

by the Imperial Government of military property, so that it would serve as a home for his family. The building is believed to have been prefabricated in Britain before being shipped to India and later to South Africa, where it served as an officer's mess at Lord Kitchener's headquarters in Middelburg. It was re-erected at the property in 1909, and Mrs Smuts moved her family into it on 10 July while General Smuts was at sea. Though initially meant to be temporary, the family ultimately remained in the Big House, and numerous additions were added to it. The Smuts raised seven children in it. The house was inherited by Mrs Kitty Smuts, Jan Smuts' daughter-in-law and widow of Japie Smuts. She found it difficult to maintain, and after unsuccessfully offering it to various organisations, it was bought in July 1960 for £7000 by ex-serviceman and Pretoria attorney Mr Braithwaite. On 31 October 1969, the Big House was declared a National Monument as per the

Government Gazette A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establis ...

. Since 1961, it has been owned by the General Smuts Foundation, known until 1994 as the General Smuts War Veterans' Foundation. The house reflects Smuts' modest lifestyle.

Museum

The house today is part of the Smuts House Museum, operated by the General Smuts Foundation, which is dedicated to the legacy of Jan Smuts. A short walk from the house is Smuts Koppie, where the ashes of Jan Smuts and his wife Isie were scattered. The museum also has a tea garden for light refreshments.

Gallery

File:9 2 258 0064-Smuts House-Doornkloof-Pretoria-s.jpg File:Smuts house Irene Pretoria 046.jpg File:J.C. Smuts at Smuts house Irene Pretoria 001.jpg File:J.C. Smuts at Smuts house Irene Pretoria 042.jpg File:J.C. Smuts at Smuts house Irene Pretoria 045.jpg File:Jan Smuts Musem Library.jpg File:Smuts house Irene Pretoria 089.jpg File:Smuts house Irene Pretoria 087.jpg

References

External links

{{Commons category, Smuts House
The Smuts House MuseumSmuts House Museum – Gauteng Tourism Authority
Houses in South Africa Jan Smuts Houses completed in 1909 Biographical museums in South Africa Historic buildings and structures in South Africa