Melrose House, Pretoria

Melrose House, Pretoria

Melrose House is situated at 275 Jacob Maré Street, Pretoria across from Burger's Park. Free parking for visitors to Melrose House is available at 280 Scheiding Street, to the south of Melrose House.

Melrose House offers visitors guided tours by appointment, a clay tennis court, a reference library and a Tea Garden. Temporary exhibitions, antique fairs, talks, workshops for children and adults, and shows are presented on a regular basis. Enjoy Tea in the Tea Garden. The Stables at Melrose House is housed in the stable complex at Melrose House. Light meals, cakes, a variety of teas, coffee and cold drinks are served.

History of Melrose House:
Named after the famous Melrose Abbey in Scotland, Melrose House was built in 1886 by prosperous Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys. Today this elegant house museum stands as a superb example of the transition of Victorian to Edwardian architectural styles and interiors. The interior is characterised by colourful stained glass windows, paintings by English artists, carpets in rich colours, ornate ceilings and fireplaces, as well as valuable porcelain ornaments, the majority of which belonged to the Heys family.

Lord Roberts requisitioned Melrose House as headquarters of the British forces, after the invasion of Pretoria in June 1900. Instructions were issued from here for more than 18 months, determining the strategy of the British forces in the field. The Peace Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the Anglo-Boer War (1899 - 1902) was signed in Melrose House on 31 May 1902. (Source: Melrose House).

Contact: Melrose House
Telephone: +27 (0)12 322-2805 or +27 (0)21 322-0420
Address: 275 Jacob Maré Street, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa