Môreson sleeps four people and comprises full self-catering facilities. There is a BBQ area, secluded and sheltered from the elements, where you are sure to spend many memorable hours.
Môreson is the last thatched "Pioniershuis" (Pioneer's home) in Nieuwoudtville. Originally the roofs of all the houses were thatched. After the Anglo-Boer War in 1902, Oregon timber was imported from America and zinc (galvanised iron) from America and Britain. This resulted in the thatched roofs being tossed off, the "brand solders" (fire-ceilings – a fire-prevention building technique) built of reed and clay replaced with oregon beams and planking, and zinc roofs fitted. Wherever an old house with a pitched roof has a flat-roofed section, we know that this section was added after 1902.
Môreson was built on a rocky outcrop and the walls were built of sandstone and clay. In the "Voorkamer" (lounge) of the house, a section of the original "brand solder" can be seen. The clay on top of the reeds acted as a shield to protect the house in the event of the roof catching fire.
Hendrik commenced the restoration of Môreson in 1998. The house was white washed both inside and out and all the doors and windows were stripped, which meant the removal of layers of oil paint that had been applied over decades.
After Easter of 2001 more than 100 truck loads of soil and rubble were dumped in front of the house in order to create a succulent garden, which has been established using three major indigenous plant families – Mesems, Aloes and Euphorbias. The tall aloes are the well-known "Kokerbome" (Quiver trees) of which the largest concentration in Southern Africa occurs only 25km from the town of Nieuwoudtville. |
