Description
Antique print dated 1895.
The page is over 115 years old and in good condition.
In order to enhance and protect the page we have set in within a bespoke frame and mount.
Frame size 400mm x 370mm. available also in a
gold frame, your choice. RtW.266.
Entitled – Cape Town. Interior of the House of Assembly.
Below the picture an inscription reads:
Cape Town. – Adderley Street ends at the foot of the Government Avenue, which once formed part of the celebrated gardens laid out by Governor van der Stel.
This avenue is three-quarters of a mile long, and is well shaded by oak trees, some of which are two hundred years old.
On the left-hand side, immediately on entering the avenue, are the Houses of Parliament, completed in 1886 at a cost of £222,000, and forming one of the handsomest buildings in South Africa.
They measure 264ft. in length by 141ft. in breadth, with a height of 64ft.
Passing through the entrance-hall the visitor sees to the right and left of him two debating chambers, one for the Legislative Council and the other for the House of Assembly.
Both these rooms have a floor space measuring 67ft. by 36ft. – only 10ft. less in length and width than the House of Commons at Westminster.
The Sessions are usually held during the months from April to August, and since 1882 debates and discussions may be conducted in either English or Dutch, but in no other language.
Members who reside with ten miles of Cape Town receive payment for their services at the rate of £1 per day, while country members receive £1 16s. per day for the time they are away from their homes.
The Legislative Council consists of twenty-two members, while the House of Assembly numbers seventy-six.
The building can be inspected by strangers on obtaining an order from the Serjeant-at-Arms, or by applying to any of the members in town.
Adjoining the Houses of Parliament on the left-hand side of the avenue and approached by two entrances, one in Grave Street and the other in Oak Avenue, is the Government House, the town residence of the High Commissioner of South Africa.
If you buy an item and then see it relisted this is because we occasionally have more than one available, each page is
original and not a photocopy.
Thank you for looking, please visit our shop.
