What are the opening hours?

Monday 07:30 - 16:30 Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30 Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30 Thursday 08:00 - 16:30 Friday 08:00 - 16:30 Saturday 09:00 - 16:30 Sunday 09:00 - 16:30

Talana Museum

Name: Talana Museum
Address: Vryheid Road, Dundee, 3000, ZA
Telephone: 034 2122654
Price range: $$

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Talana Museum

Talana -"the shelf where precious items are kept"
Anglo Boer war battlefield, superb military museums. National coal mine museum & archive for S Africa.

Stunning glass museum. Exhibits in 24 buildings. Gandhi museum. New home of Mtonjaneni Museum. Current entrance fees R40 per adult; R5 per scholar

28/08/2026

Dutch Reformed Church – Glencoe
Built in 1973 this church has the most amazing walls of stained glass.
The shaped walls on opposite sides of the church have floor to roof height glass panels that are the shape and size of a brick set into a
concrete surround.
The multi-coloured walls reflect extraordinary light effects within the church.

27/08/2026

Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Kyriaki – Glencoe
This beautifully peaceful church was originally a Roman Catholic Church built in 1932, that had fallen into disuse and was purchased by the Greek community in 1992 and restored as a Greek
Orthodox Church.
This was done in memory of Kiki Adalis who was killed in a car accident.

26/08/2026

AGS Church - Gray Str
The original Methodist church built in 1889 was bought by the Dutch Reformed congregation in 1908.
The Ermelo church on the slopes of Mpati mountain, had become too small to hold the growing congregation. (The Ermelo church building was used by the British forces as an army stable in 1899.)
It soon became apparent that this church was also too small for the
“nagmaal” services and an arrangement was reached with the Methodists to use their larger church, while they used the smaller older church, for these particular services.
During the Anglo Boer War with the large numbers of British troops stationed in the town the church, in Gray St, was too small to accommodate the soldiers for Sunday services and an arrangement to “swop” churches was made with the Dutch Reformed congregation, who had a larger church.
In 1925 a private owner, Mr. Blogg, bought the church. He, in turn, sold the church in 1933 to the Nederduitse Hervormde Church of Glencoe. It changed hands again in 1954 when it was sold to the Ou Apostoliese Church, who in turn sold it in 1976 to
the AGS of SA (Die Apostoliese Geloof Sending van Suid Afrika).
They undertook considerable restoration to return the church to its original state and to preserve this historic building with its yellowwood ceiling.
The hole like markings on the sandstone blocks are not bullet marks as some people believe but are from the pincers that were used to lift the blocks into position.
This is a declared Provincial Heritage Site.

25/08/2026

Dutch Reformed Church – Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
- corner Beaconsfield and Willson St

The church was designed by Gerard Moerdyk and completed in 1922.
On the clock tower of this building is an impressive Anton von Wouw sculpture and plaque commemorating the Boers who fell in the battle of Talana. Although these men were originally buried
on the top of Talana hill, their remains were reinterred under the clock tower in 1929.

In the garden near this memorial, is a concrete slab, in which are etched the marks of the wagon wheels from the wagons of the 1938 centenary trek as they made their way through Dundee and on to the site of the battle of Blood River/Ncome.

By 1908 the Ermelo church was too small and the Methodist church in Gray Street was bought. This very soon also became too small and an agreement was reached with the Methodists that they would swop services for “nagmaal” services and would
have the use of the new Methodist church.

In 1917 Dundee became a congregation in its own right. The need for a larger church was becoming very apparent and in 1919 it was agreed to raise funds to build a new church.

The first architect’s plans proved too expensive and in 1921 plans by Gerard Moerdyk were accepted and work begun on a church to seat 750 people at a cost of R21,298.
The property on the corner of Willson and Beaconsfield was bought from Mrs Willson.
The inauguration of the church was held from 7-10 December 1922.
In 1929 the Anton Von Wouw relief on the church tower was unveiled. This commemorates the battle of Talana and the suffering of the women. The human remains of the burgers, originally buried on the top of Talana hill, were exhumed and reinterred under the clock tower. In 1963 the magnificent pipe organ was used for the first time.

24/08/2026

St. Phillips Church services were held in Mr. Still’s house, the Public
Hall and the hotel, prior to the construction of the church.

One acre of land was donated by Mary Sutton (formerly Pascoe). The foundation stone was laid on 2 April 1884 and the building finished and ready for use by its official inauguration on 8 October 1884. It had cost £500 to erect and had an outstanding debt on opening of £230.
At this first service the two infant daughters of Mr. Still were baptised. The church could seat 100 persons. Services were held every 6 weeks in the church and then that evening in the Public Hall in Dundee Proper.
In 1890 the church was consecrated as the debt had been paid off, as well as a further one acre of land, bought from Mary Sutton for £10, to serve as a burial ground.
In 1896 a decision was taken to sell the property to the Swedish Mission Church but this didn’t happen.
St James was built in Dundee and the property at “Coalfields” sold to the Dundee Coal Company in 1917. With time and the growth of the town of Dundee, the area where St. Philips was became known as “Coalfields” – the name of the farm.
This church was vandalised by the Boer forces during the war
of 1899-1902.
St. Philips was moved to it’s present position in 1902 to serve as the church hall.
By the 1960’s there were 60 graves in the cemetery. In 1995 the remains of only 28 could be found and when the headstones were finally removed to Talana Museum for safe keeping in 2011 only 22 remained.
Today this little building on the corner of Boundary and Grey streets is used by the church as on office and by the pre-primary school as a storeroom.

23/08/2026

Trinity Presbyterian Church
- corner Beaconsfield St and King Edward St

Until a hall was built on the corner of McKenzie and Gladstone Streets in 1884, worship was conducted by a minister from Newcastle at Talana, in the home of Mr and Mrs Peter Smith.

In June 1899 the Rev Ireland became the first minister. The
Anglo Boer war caused services to be held in Boswells’ as the church hall was being used for the war effort.
In March 1902 Ann Smith laid the foundation stone for a new church, which was consecrated in March 1903.

The first minister, the Rev. J. T. C. Ireland served in the First World War and died at sea when his ship was torpedoed. As there were insufficient seats in the rescue boat Rev Ireland gave up the seat he was about to occupy to another man.
The Roll of Honour inside the church was unveiled in 1920 and records those men of the district who died in the First World War. There are also other memorial tablets on the walls.

22/08/2026

St. James Anglican Church

This church, erected in 1898, has had a number of additions to it over the years.
Inside the church are plaques listing the names of men who died during the Anglo Boer War battles in Northern Natal.

There are six military graves in St. James’ churchyard, Boundary Road. Maj. Gen Sir William Penn Symons was mortally wounded whilst directing the attack near Talana and died on 23 October 1899. He was buried after the British force evacuated Dundee.

There are also graves of two soldiers, one of whom was Lt. WHJ Hannah (of the 1st Bn. Leicestershire Regt.) who was killed on 21
October 1899 when the British camp, after having been moved the first time, came under enemy bombardment.
Maj. R. B. Blunt (of the Lancashire Fusiliers) died of wounds received in February 1902 in the Vryheid district and also lies buried here.

Also buried here is the Rev. Bailey, Vicar of St. James, who remained in the town during the Boer occupation to look after the wounded soldiers and the few remaining civilians.

Inside the church, on the west wall, is a brass plaque on which are inscribed the names of 231 soldiers of the Imperial and Colonial forces who died in Dundee and the surrounding district during the war.
On a longitudinal wall is a marble panel which displays the names of the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment who lost their lives during the war.

Under the carpet in the aisle is the hole that the Rev. Bailey cut in the floorboards to bury the church silver and the Union Jack flag,which was draped over the coffin of Gen Penn Symons and then flown to welcome the British forces back to Dundee in May 1900.

21/08/2026

Methodist Church
This was the third Methodist church to be built in Dundee. The original Methodist church built in 1889 is today the AGS church in Gray Street
The second Methodist church was on the same site as the present one but was rebuilt and enlarged in 1951.
The first services of which there is any record were conducted by
Rev. George Blencowe in 1864. He paid a quarterly visit on horseback. In 1866 the Ladysmith circuit was formed and
Dundee fell under this circuit.
During 1870 donations were sourced and a church built of burned brick on four acres of land at “Coalfields.” This was an interdenominational church.
With the declaration of the town of Dundee in 1882 church services were held in a local hall. In 1889 the first church (sandstone)
was built in Gray Street and opened for worship in 1892. During the Anglo Boer war it soon became apparent that the church was too small and with military assistance the next church was built. The foundation stone was laid in November 1902 and the church opened for worship in August 1905. The final cost of the
church was £3,737.
In 1959 a church hall was built. In 1966 it was decided to
renovate and improve the appearance of the church. When tenders were called in 1968 it was found that the costs of renovation were the same as construction of a new church and it was decided to demolish the old church and build a new one on the same site.
Building began in December 1968. The Memorial windows of
the old church were retained and the foundation stones of the previous churches retained. The cost of this new church complete with organ, furniture, fittings and furnishing was R25,035

20/08/2026

Dundee Adult Centre
The double storey construction in 1901 incorporated part of the
original Masonic bar and hotel.
They boasted 30 bedrooms, a first class dining room, ladies sitting
room, a smoking room and billiard room (with 2 tables), stables with accommodation for 60 horses, a blacksmith’s shop and electricity throughout.
In 1908 they advertised that a bus met all trains to transport passengers to the hotel.
In 1927 they were advertising skilled mechanics on the premises to assist with guests vehicles. The hotel was recommended by the Natal Car Club and the Transvaal Car Club.
Alterations in the late 1950’s removed the iron pillars and broekie lace and replaced them with square brick pillars and brick verandah walls.
The hotel was modernised in the 1970’s and renamed the El Mpati hotel. The original verandahs were enclosed to create bathrooms for the bedrooms.
Today this building is an Adult Training Centre, which provides sheltered accommodation and employment for handicapped adults.

19/08/2026

For the past month I have been telling you about Dundee and South Africa's connection with specific parts of the First World War. Now I am going to start telling you the stories associated with the heritage buildings in our towns.

Dundee and the surrounding area are rich in history and have numerous historical buildings and sites which are a testament to our past heritage.

Have you ever really looked at the facades of the buildings and houses as you drive or walk along the streets of Dundee and Glencoe. The building style, building materials, original colours and decor all tell a tale about their age, original usage, fashions at the time of construction. Inside these old buildings the building materials, layout and building techniques are all clues to their age - but do you know how to read them?
Have you seen and read the Heritage Trail plaques on many of the buildings?

Protecting and preserving them and the stories associated with them, is an integral part of our continuing heritage and needs to be preserved for future generations.

The outside of the Royal hotel is reminiscent of the Tudor Age.
This hotel has been trading on this site since the late 19th Century with the current facade dating from 1953.
Today it is no longer an hotel as is used for student accommodation.

The Tudor feel to the building continues through the interior..
However, this is not what the building looked like originally. It was a single storey building that had pieces attached to it as it expanded and occupied adjacent buildings.
In 1908 they were advertising accommodation for 60 guests
in 26 bedrooms, dining and billiard rooms, stabling for 30 horses, tennis court and attractive gardens as well as a vegetable garden to supply the needs of the hotel.
By 1949 additions and alterations had incorporated all the free standing buildings.
The hotel was recommended by the Royal Automobile Club and
boasted lock up garages and wide sunny verandahs to enjoy the fresh air.
In July 1983 a fire destroyed a large part of the building. It was subsequently rebuilt in the same Tudor style.

Address

Vryheid Road
Dundee
3000

Opening Hours

Monday	07:30 - 16:30
Tuesday	08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday	08:00 - 16:30
Thursday	08:00 - 16:30
Friday	08:00 - 16:30
Saturday	09:00 - 16:30
Sunday	09:00 - 16:30

Telephone

034 2122654

Website

http://www.talana.co.za/

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