Welcome to Ladysmith in the Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa!
$7.78 | £14.36 | €11.48 | | Time: 17:37 |  |
THE LEGEND OF LADYSMITH: SIEGE MUSEUM
Who was Invincible?
What or who is Castor & Pollux?
What
was Puffing Billy, Silent Sue or Chevril? If these kind of
question intrigue you, then you have to find the answers
in the Ladysmith Siege Museum.
Acclaimed beyond the borders of the country. The
Ladysmith Siege Museum brilliantly depicts a sad chapter
in South African and British Military History. No visit
to the Battlefields is complete without a stop at the
Siege Museum.
Considered to be the best Anglo Boer War museum in South
Africa, this charming museum has a large collection of
fascinating items from the siege of Ladysmith. For
instance a piece of human skin with a tattoo - can you
help identify its owner? A bottle of champagne and a tin
of chocolates - more that 100 years old - these and many
other items can be viewed in the comfort of an air-
conditioned environment
Excellent displays, done in English, Afrikaans and Zulu,
depict the various aspects of the 118-day siege.
The foyer of the museum, the Tatham Foyer, shows the
original cast iron pillars and flagstone floors. They
have been beautifully incorporated into the building. The
original structure was built in July 1884 as a marketplace
for local farmers.
During the siege the shelter was used as a ration post for
civilians after which it returned to being a market place.
In 1961 an Inaugural Museum was established, this
coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Siege of
Ladysmith. In 1965 the building was revamped and used as
a museum and public library. From 1982 the building was
used as Museum exclusively.
zoom The interior of Ladysmith's Siege Museum. |
Excellent Displays
In 1985 the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Museum Service
completed the Museum’s current layout. William
Mackay,
Town Clerk of Ladysmith from 1947 to 1961, painstakingly
collected the material used in the excellent displays. The
museum is divided into several sections which cover
topics such as the causes of the Anglo-Boer/South African
War (1899 to 1902), Ladysmith's involvement,
firearms,
uniforms, medical aspects, Long Toms and the relief of
Ladysmith.
The Museum has an excellent Book Shoppe with a large
variety of hard-to-find books on the Anglo Boer War and
related subjects. The shop also stocks maps and post cards.
Museum Hours
Museum hours: Weekdays from 9:00 to 16:00 Saturdays: 9:00 to 13:00 Sundays & public holidays: By prior arrangement
Contact
Tel. 036-6372992 Email: museum@ladysmith.co.za Website: www.ladysmith.co.za
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