Blackwood trees and timber

The other day I took a trip to the Natal Midlands to fish one of our clubs dams. The dam has a parking spot under some trees which I later found out were Blackwood trees. I'm very interested in trees and found out that Blackwood is NOT indigen ous and comes from Australia and is grown extensively there and especially in Tasmania, New Zealand and Knysna/George here in SA. The wood is extremely hard and the grain is beautiful, makes outstanding furniture and even Guitars...it is as attractive as Stinkwood, Yellow Wood and Wild Pear...

I've now discovered on closer investigations that Australasia specie is different from African Blackwood and indeed the later is used in handmade Acoustical guitars...something Plum would give an arm and a leg to own.

I have since obtained a few seed pods but alas it is slow growing...takes 7 years to grow a few feet and the timber value only after 70-100 years.

I initially had a hair-brain thought of buying some land in South Africa where I could cultivate them in substantial numbers something of extreme value for my grandchildren, however 70-100 years even rules them out.

Interesting concept though...if you think about how valuable would such timbers be then, especially furniture or guitars made out of such even today. I suppose in lesser years such furniture will be nearly as valuable as a valuable gem stone...probably unattainable only to the mega wealthy...in 70-100 years is anybody's guess.

You can Google Blackwood furniture to see what I mean...really lovely stuff.

Here's a clip Plum of an Acoustical Guitar made from African Blackwood.

https://youtu.be/osRWaLakPgQ

Seb

When the two farmhouses  (1795 and 1804) and the great animal shelter (1768) on the farm Zeekoegat where built there were  ample Stinkwood and Yellowwood  in the area and the Grootvadersbosch forest near the present Swellendam was use o produce that type of timber for Cape Town.   Much of the furniture used in the Cape at that time came from Grootvadersbosch.   The mentioned building had stinkwood and yellowwood ceilings and floors with beams in the raw brick walls to stabilize  

Now back to Zeekoegat - my great grandfather bought the farm in 1870 and he left it to my grandfather in 1911 and the latter died in 1969 and left it to my father.    I was borne in the 1795 home.   My father was never a good farmer and was modestly successful - but they moved from Zeekoegat to a town house complex in Riversdale in 1981.   When they moved out there were stinkwood left in the attic -must have been there for near to 200 years - and he had for each of his children an item made of yellowwood and stinkwood from the farm.  

If you ever come to Riversdale I will go and show you the farm - it is really a spectacular  place.          

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Mike that's very interesting...I have an interest in Cape history, art, culture, paintings and beautiful old furniture. When I was a very young man, I boarded in an old farm homestead in what is called Kreupelbosch in the original old farmhouse that a dear old widow lived, Joycelyn Purcell. In the house was stinkwood furniture and yellow wood so old. Her diningroom table was originally owned by Willem Adriaan Van Der Stel...it was a wood that originated in (Batavia) Indonesia and was bought by her ancestors through Dutch East India Company. The whole place was riddled with furniture steeped in history and no doubt very priceless, including an original Rembrandt and a wash basin and jug that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte when he was in exile in St Helena.

There were vineyards where grapes were cultivated for wineries , it was quite close to the Alphen Estate (Hotel) with the Blue Route desecrating the whole area. Her late husband Dr Walter Purcell died untimely and she was on her own and in order to supplement her financial needs (despite her valuable inheritance, which she utterly refused to sell for filthy lucre) she accommodated 2 boarders and was determined to pass on her valuable assets on her death  to a museum. A beautiful good old lady that was loved by all people on the left and right of politics of the people and government. Her ancestors were Huguenot...De Villiers.

Sometimes she would invite people like Prof Con De Villiers of Stellenbosch University and his friends for Sunday Dinner and music apprepriation, where we would savor the best Cape Dutch recipe results imaginable coupled with the best wines that Stellenbosch and indeed the Boland could produce. Mrs Purcell also had the most elaborate collection of classical music in a special room , all composers filed in certain catergories and indexed because it was so vast.

Joycelyn was a liberal person, was an avid supporter of Helen Suzman and  Eulalie Stott (Black Sash). Her cousin was a minister of Posts and Telegraphs in the Vorster government and she was a good friend of Tinie Vorster, whom I met several times. An incredible and amazing person that everybody loved, didn't matter what side of the coin you were from...she was a ball of love, but sharp as a razor in intelligence well aware of the errors in government but a deeper intelligence than I've ever seen in mankind. She was both my very good friend, a mother and grandmother all in one. One of her children, Oliver was the head of Caltex Oil in SA.

She died in the mid-eighties...she had a huge influence in my life and no doubt to every one that came into hers and there were many.

It breaks my heart today how developement around the old farm has turned into suburbia when I remember the vineyard and the beauty that once was there. Mrs Purcell was a true replica of what Christianity is. I loved that old lady...and she taught me a lot about life. A tiny old lady that had so much dynamite in her.

Just refer to the following:-

"A tablet commemorating Dr W F Purcell's contribution to the restoration of the house and its establishment as a museum is seen to the right as one enters the building."

The building referred to is the Koopmans De Wet House in Strand Street, Cape Town.   Dr Purcell was the head of the Cape Town Museum.   

Question - are we writing about the same family?      

Yes, indeed. But the original homestead is is in Walter Purcell Ave, which is now a suburb called Kreupelbosch near Bergvliet off The Ladies Mile.

She had an even older cousin, Reggie Jeffcoat who also offloaded many museum pieces after his death, he lived to over 100 years. There's an avenue in Bergvliet named Jeffcoat Ave where we once lived when I was a child and caught the train at Heathfield to go to SACS in Dean Street Newlands everyday before we moved to Pietermaritzburg in Natal.