The
interest Celia had taken in the Rickety Bridge house became clear as she talked of what the
house and its bridge had been like in the past. She
mentioned that when the McNaughts took over, the farm had been really
dilapidated and it was they who set about planting vines.
The
house was revamped by Robin Singer who had used a builder, Len Raymond from Paarl, who
specialised in Old Cape houses. The house had originally been a T shaped Cape
Dutch house with a central room which ran through the house to the back, with a
room on either side. In the old days, the people would have slept on straw
mattresses in the side rooms.
The
house would have been built with half doors, so that the top half
could be left open to allow a breeze to circulate in the hot months, with the bottom closed to keep out the animals and snakes.
Commenting
on the old ‘rickety bridge’ before it was replaced by the new concrete bridge
by Robin Singer, Celia said it was a set of boards sitting on top of some
pieces of railway track. When a car came on to the bridge at one end, the
planks lifted like a see-saw and only came down with a clap when the car
reached the middle of the plank.
Since my association with Rickety Bridge came through sailing I hope you won't mind the link or the picture of Dee Cafari.
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