The Uitenhage Railway Museum buildings will be restored at an estimated cost of nearly R17 million which will include a few new additions as well as its own parking area off the busy Market Street.
“I am ecstatic. It has been a long time waiting for the Uitenhage Railway Museum to be revamped and restored to its former glory,” said Balise Mvoko, Curator of the Uitenhage Historical Museums.
According to her, the Department of Arts and Culture applied to National Treasury for the renovation of the museum and liaised with the Department of Public Works, which in return provided the expertise of architects and engineers and through tenders, appointed a contractor registered on its central data base.
“The project includes the revamping of all the existing buildings. This is urgently needed as the roof structures are dilapidated and leaking everywhere damaging artifacts. Furthermore, the plumbing is old, and blockages are a huge problem. There also is some constructional damage due to the roots of trees adjacent to the buildings,” said Mvoko.
The original Uitenhage station building or Doll’s House as it is also known, was opened in 1875. It was vacated in 1951 when the new station was built in Bubbs Avenue. The old building was restored to its former glory in the 1970s and became the Railway Museum, which was proclaimed a national monument in August 1976.
Apart from restoration to existing buildings, plans include some new additions to the museum like a coffee shop, boardroom, offices for the staff, storage rooms for artifacts and ablution facilities which will be wheelchair friendly.
“The main entrance will still be used for walk-ins, but parking is a problem, so the area next to the museum has been earmarked for museum parking only. This will allow for safer entrance, especially for learners, entering directly from the parking and they will not have to walk to the Market Street entrance.
“There also will be a courtyard with outside benches to accommodate groups visiting the museum and for interactive educational programmes.”
According to Mvoko there will a reinterpreting of exhibitions after completion of the renovations, with Jack the Baboon being one of the main features of attraction.
Locomotives not restored
Mvoko said at this stage the restoration includes only the buildings and no work will be done to the locomotives and carriages parked at the museum.
“With the completion of this project, the buildings will be beautiful, but the locomotives and carriages not. So, they will not complement one another, and we are hoping for some good news that they can also be restored at a later stage, as they are the major attraction to the museum.
“The Department said they will look at the budget in the coming years for the restoration of the locomotives and carriages. The problem is that they need specific expertise in restoring it,” said Mvoko.
The planned duration of the project is twelve months, providing there will not be another lockdown.
Mvoko said the railway museum site was handed over to the contractor on Friday, 14 May and if all goes according to plan, activities will start this week. The estimated cost as provided by the Department of Public Works is R16 591 736,85 and the contractor will be working in conjunction with local SME’s.
Normally two museums are being renovated per year, with this year the Uitenhage Railway Museum and Fort Beaufort Museum receiving new looks.
