How to read the old houses of Riebeek Kasteel

Walking through Riebeek Kasteel is like reading a book of building styles, once you know what to look for.

The earliest houses were simple farmers' homes with rock and clay walls, log beams and thatch. The Oldest House, at 29 Sarel Cilliers Street, was built when that road was still called Mill Street, on land that once belonged to Kloovenburg.

In the late 1800s corrugated iron replaced thatch across South Africa. From the early 1900s small ventilators below the roofline became a Victorian hallmark, so a house without them is often older. The Sergeant's House on Fontein Street dates from 1911 and was first home to Sergeant Muller of the local police.

Gable dates help too: 1862 on the Royal Hotel, 1928 on Basson's store. The free heritage walk, about 3.75 kilometres with 26 stops, is the best way to see them all.