I'd often passed the Delta winery on my way from Stellenbosch to Franschhoek but when I eventually found my way there I found the winery worth a visit but the people fascinating. The turn off is just after crossing the Dwaarse River bridge on the Franschhoek road and lies at the end of a long driveway. The first person I met was Tracey Randle, a vivacious young ‘girl next door’, who already had a master’s degree in history and archaeology and was busy with a PhD. The museum she was in charge of had its beginnings in the Mark Solms, the owner's interest in archaeology and his desire to tell the real story of the Cape of Good Hope in a way that people could relate to. Mark was, at that time, and may still be, a professor who consulted at Groote Schuur. Mark sought advice from historians, archaeologists and conservation architects and when Dr Antonia Malan looked the place over she commented that the reason for the distance between the old wine cellar, which housed the museum, and the main house being more than normal was probably because there had been a building in between. That's only the beginning. There's more history and historical events being played out at Delta than you could shake a stick at.
The picture is what the archaeologists found between the main house and the museum.
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