Sandstone was utilised extensively as a source of building material. Visit any town, village or farm in the region and you will very likely see diverse examples of sandstone houses.
Numerous books document the Anglo-Boer War experiences in the area, and often the sandstone houses form part of the narrative of the war.
The Brandwater Basin played a very important role during the war. It was here, on 30 July 1900, that Prinsloo surrendered with 4300 troops to the British. The lofty citadels of sandstone were the silent witnesses of this defeat.
At the Siege of Jammersbergdrift, Struan House was used as a hospital by British troops. Even the holkranse (hollowed cliffs, erosional caves or shelters) were used extensively. It was in one of these holkranse that the Free State Boers secreted a printing press which they used for distributing propaganda.
During the action at Moolmans Spruit it was yet again a sandstone farmhouse that was a stage-prop to the skirmish on 20 April 1902.
As you travel through the area, the connection between the Anglo-Boer and the sandstone is evident at every turn of the road.
