Historic Coega homestead now a sorry sight
Historic 19th-century Hougham Park homestead is still in a state of disrepair
Claims of half-done jobs and forgotten promises by the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) are infuriating Bay historians who for eight years have been trying to salvage what remains of the historic Hougham Park homestead.
Built in 1828 for Hougham Hudson, Port Elizabeth’s first civil commissioner and resident magistrate, the Hougham Park house was identified by historian Jenny Bennie – author of a heritage impact assessment study conducted in Coega in 2010 – as one of 28 heritage resources in the 12 000ha Coega industrial development zone.
In 2015 CDC marketing and communications head Ayanda Vilakazi said it would install clear-view fencing around the three buildings to hinder vandalism. It is yet to be done. A year later vandals stole sections of roofing and window and door frames.
These were replaced, with the CDC once again promising to increase security patrols and install fencing.However, that same year vandals again put a halt to the refurbishments of the 19th century home, according to Vilakazi.
This came to light after Weekend Post revisited the site earlier this month and noted that only half of the house had been repaired during refurbishments in 2016.
Vilakazi said only once the security upgrades were completed would the refurbishments continue.
Asked about the prior promises of security upgrades, Vilakazi said: “The CDC has improved security presence, electronic surveillance of the facility, vegetation control and landscaping as well as physical improvements to prevent unauthorised access to the facility.”
However, Weekend Post failed to locate the electronic sur veillance.Vilakazi said while the current situation was not ideal, the measures taken would ensure the preservation of the farmhouse until the necessary preconditions for restoration were in place.
But while the garden is clearly being maintained, security remains poor to nonexistent as Weekend Post freely accessed the grounds, finding only the front of the house painted, and the rear neglected.
There were broken windows, missing doors and ever-deteriorating paint work – a sight which left Bennie “very disappointed” following a visit in March this year.
“I and a few other historians visited the house in March and I must say I am very disappointed in the CDC,” Bennie said.
“Over the last eight years since the study was done, nothing has been done to protect this house.”
Bennie, who is also vicechairwoman of the Historical Society of Port Elizabeth and secretary of the Eastern Cape Historical Organisation, said the historians were embarrassed by the state of the structure.
“It would have been very easy to put up one of those clear fences and employ a security guard. There is always some excuse,” she said.
Johannesburg resident Janet Drysdale, 68, whose cousin David Crews owned the home prior to its being taken over by the CDC in 2007, visits family in the Bay annually, making a habit of checking on the property.
She agreed the CDC had failed in its promise to protect and restore the ailing structure.
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