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Die Ou Swaai Pomp

The old water pump at the corner of Prince Street and Sir George Grey Street in the Cape Town neighbourhood of Oranjezicht was part of the system created by the Swede Jan Frederik Hurling in the 1790s for his farm, Zorgfliet. This particular structure was erected at the pump site in 1812 to a design by Louis Michel Thibault, embellished with a water-sprite gargoyle attributed (inevitably) to Anton Anreith.

It was operated by swinging the wooden handle on the side to and fro, hence why it is known as a swaai, or “swinging”, pump.

The photo above is the work of the Cape photographer Arthur Elliott whose work not only documents the early architecture of the Cape but more often than not manages to do so in an artistic and evocative manner.

Elliott is especially valuable considering how many of these structures faced the wrecking ball in the intervening century since he took his photographs, though — as you can see from a Google StreetView capture below — the Old Swaai Pump is still in its place today and is a monument protected by national and provincial law.

Published at 8:54 am on Thursday 9 June 2016. Categories: Architecture Cape Town Errant Thoughts South Africa Tags: , , .
Comments

het is hartverwarming om te zien dat deze oeroude pomp is bewaard gebleven: it is heartwarming to see that this old pump has been saved .

— vanNoppen-Groenendaal 11 May 2018 6:34 am

het is hartverwarming om te zien dat deze oeroude pomp is bewaard gebleven.

— vanNoppen-Groenendaal 11 May 2018 6:35 am

Wonderful to see that this old pump has survived and being part of today

— vanNoppen-Groenendaal 11 May 2018 6:37 am
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