Smuts House Museum, Ouma Isie's Tea Garden and the Oubaas Trail
The legacy embossed in both the house and the homestead, reveals the life of one of the most prolific statesmen of our time – General Jan Smuts.
Rich history, tradition and culture is sewn into the tapestry of the past. This is truly the beauty-spot on the Centurion landscape.
Just a mere five kilometres from a busy highway intersection, you’ll find no noise, pollution nor city distractions. The Oubaas Trail offers a refreshing hike to the top of the Koppie, teeming with bird-life, rugged flora and lofty trees, to be met with a breath-taking vista of Pretoria.
Museum Operating Hours
The Smuts House Museum is now open 6 days a week, Tuesday to Sunday, between 9:00 and 16:00. Gate to the grounds closes at 18:00 over weekends. Kindly note that there is a R10 parking fee over weekends for security purposes.
The Big House - Home of the Smuts Family
General Smuts bought, for £300, the wood-and-iron building that had served as the officers' mess. It is believed that the building was originally prefabricated in Britain, taken to India by the British Army and later shipped to South Africa. Now, once again the building was dismantled. It was brought to Pretoria by rail, and thence to the farm Doornkloof by ox wagon, where it was re-erected at the substantial cost of £1000 in 1909. General Smuts was at sea, on the way to England as a member of the National Convention delegation, when Mrs Smuts moved her family into the house on 10 July 1909. The plan was altered on rebuilding, and as the years passed a kitchen and pantry (1918) and other rooms were added, and verandahs were enclosed (front verandah, 1942).
The Big House is, however, substantially as it was a century ago. The unpretentious building strikingly illustrates Smuts's indifference to luxury and ease of living, and here he spent the happiest hours of his life. Among the famous guests whom Ouma, Smuts' wife, entertained in her home were the British Royal Family, who visited them at Doornkloof while on the Royal Tour in 1947. General Smuts found his peace at Doornkloof. It was to Doornkloof that he retreated from the affairs of State which occupied so much of his life. At Doornkloof Smuts could indulge his absorbing passions for botany and philosophy. There he could enjoy the simple life of a farmer, father and grandfather.
After his death in 1950, Mrs Smuts continued to live in the only real home she had ever known, until her death in 1954. Both General and Mrs Smuts died in the Big House. Their ashes were scattered, as were those of other family members, on the top of Smuts Koppie - the rugged hill behind the house. The Smuts House also served as Lord Kitchener's Mess in Middelburg, Transvaal.
Ouma Isie's Tea Garden
Ouma Ise Krige Smuts. born as Sybella Margaretha Krige (1870 - 1954) was the wife of General Jan Smuts. She grew up in Stellenbosch and met Jan Christiaan Smuts in 1887. She was a teacher while he studied law at Cambridge University in England. After a courtship of ten years the couple married in 1897 and settled in Johannesburg before moving to Doornkloof, Irene. She gave birth to nine children but raised only six as the other three past away as infants. She also raised a foster daughter.
She supported her husband who would later serve twice as prime minister of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and 1939 to 1948. Becornilig first lady of South Africa did not change her - simplicity, dignity and composure prevailed. She was renowned for her hospitality, entertaining a variety of people - from locals to royalty including Princess Elizabeth who today is Queen Elizabeth of The United Kingdom. She ran an efficient home and preferred the Big House to the prime ministers' official residences in Pretoria and Cape Town.
The Oubaas Trail
The Oubaas Trail is a 2.3km walk that was designed and laid out by the Friends of the General Smuts Foundation. The trail winds through one of the few remaining pristine dolomitic grasslands in Gauteng.
The trail ends at the top of Smuts Koppie where there is an obelisk in memory of the Smuts family.
Families, nature lovers, hikers and botanists can enjoy the interesting biodiversity of plants to be found on the Smuts Koppie. Many small animals live on the property and one can often spot a hare or a small antelope roaming around.
Smuts Koppie is the home of a critically endangered fruit chafer beetle, Ichnestoma stobbiai. The female of this fragile species is flightless. This beetle also has a very short adulthood - the males are only active for a few days during the year after the spring rains - this is the only time when mating occurs. They have a beautiful coppery coloured exterior and are about 1cm in length.
In order to qualify to log this cache as ‘Found’ you need to answer the following questions and submit the answers to me by e-mail or utilising the Message system on our profile.
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In the Parking Area the welcome sign says: Welcome to the home of ...........?
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At the Entrance to Smuts House Museum, how many flagpoles do you see?
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At the Magnolia Tree, what does the sign say, who send the seed to Mrs Smuts?
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.