In going round the Rickety Bridge house at the time the Singers were renovating, the builder Len Raymond made several comments. In
the lounge, pointing to where new, better dressed, beams had been used
when the wings were extended he mentioned that the new beams were probably brought
by ox-wagon from Knysna by the Dirkse van Schalkwyks. He pointed out that the same changeover could be seen in the accommodation on the other side of the dining room.
In
the kitchen, Len pointed to the stub of a beam sticking out of the side wall
and, sighting along the beam over the fireplace, commented that the stump was
‘near enough’ to have been the end of the original beam before it was cut during some
renovation.
What I enjoyed was the thought of someone dragging timber from Knysna on the east coast over the mountain passes to Franschoek. In those days men were really men and horses were heavy and strong, not the thoroughbreds that look so good in the paddock and come last when you have a bet on them.
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