Drostdy Museum

The Drostdy is the old seat of the landdrost (district magistrate) in Swellendam, built by the Dutch East India Company in 1747. Swellendam is the third oldest town in South Africa, and the Drostdy and its neighbouring buildings are now a museum complex. It is the best single stop in town for understanding how the colonial Cape frontier worked, and an easy stop on the N2 between Cape Town and the Garden Route.

What to expect

The main house is classic Cape Dutch: thatch, a curved gable over the door and thick walls of clay and unbaked brick. Inside, look for the parlour floor of painted lime plaster made to imitate tiles or marble, and the collection of 18th century Cape furniture.

The complex also takes in the Old Gaol and the Ambagswerf, an open-air yard of old trades: a smithy, coppersmith, cooperage, tannery, water mill, charcoal kiln and thatching. Mayville, a 19th century family home opened as a house museum in 1978, and the Zanddrift farmhouse are part of the same site.

Practical details

• Address: 18 Swellengrebel Street, Swellendam.
• Swellendam is about 220 km from Cape Town.
• Phone: 028 514 1138.
• Opening hours are not clearly published, so phone ahead or check on arrival.

Good to know

The building passed through several hands after the British took over the Cape. It was sold by the government in 1846, bought by the Steyn family in 1855 and acquired by the Union of South Africa in 1939 to become a museum. The town also has a footnote in history as the short-lived Republic of Swellendam, declared in June 1795 and ended that November when Britain occupied the Cape. Allow at least a couple of hours to see all the buildings.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Drostdy Museum, Wikipedia, SA-Venues.