History
of the Museum
Sourced from Shipwrecks
The Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum opened in the 1960’s and was proclaimed a Museum in 1975. It is the only Shipwreck Museum in South Africa and pays tribute to the 150 ships that were met by an untimely end along the Cape’s tumultuous coast made of jutting rocks and unpredictable seas.
The original Independent Church, this building is an example of Cape neo-Gothic architecture. It is unique in that virtually all the wood used in the building was sourced from Shipwrecks. The building today contains artifacts that were salvaged from shipwrecks along the Southern Coast.
Shipwrecks along the dangerous Southern Cape Coast
The Shipwreck Museum Bredasdorp’s primary theme are “Shipwrecks along the dangerous Southern Cape coast and their influence on the development of the Strandveld. Along the Strandveld coastline there has been approximately 150 wrecks between the years 1673-1982.
Some well-known wrecks like the Arniston, Birkenhead and the Queen of the Thames are but a few of which the tragic history of their demise are told in the Museum.
The Old Parsonage reflects the typical Strandveld house with furniture from shipwrecks. Wood was scarce in the Strandveld, and not only was furniture bought from auctions of shipwrecks, but also wood for woodworks, beams and door frames.
The Museum has four buildings with different themes and also has a beautiful garden with anchors and canons and beautiful flowers and trees
