One of the early Ueckermann houses built for settlers. It may be the oldest house in Heidelberg and was bought by Roets in 1866 for £18.

In 1872, Andrew Young Arthur (1838-1906) and his wife, Mary Campbell (1835-1909) bought the house. They had emigrated to S.A. from Kelvingrove, Glasgow, sailed to Durban on the Tugela in 1867 and first trekked to New Scotland (Barberton Valley). After a great deal of hardship and tragedy they trekked to Kimberley in the diamond rush.

The various extensions and outbuildings were probably added by the Arthurs, who had seven children, as the original settler house would have had 2 front rooms. 
Arthur opened a butcher shop, in partnership with Petrus Uys.
(Source: Herbert Prins 1986 Folder)

In October 1988, DH Rodd from the Department of Architecture did a study on the building with information gleaned from Jack Taylor who was the owner of the property at the time.

1. History of the erf from the deeds office.
05.10.1865      Sarah Venter,
15.05.1866      William Mc Laren,
15.11.1866      Philllipus Petrus Roets,
11.08.1869      Fritz von Grafsow (£8),
27.06.1871      Jan Fredrik Merz,
08.09.1874      Andrew Young Arthur (£10),
14.02.1907      Elizabeth Young Arthur,
14.02.1907      William Arthur (£404.19),
13.08.1934      Elizabeth Young Green (£485),
21.04.1943      Mary A. Campbell Ward,
07.03.1967      John Edward Bruce (R5125),
05.07.1982      Jack H. Taylor (R20 000).

2. Andrew Young Arthur (1838-1906) with his wife Mary Campbell (1835-1909), their son John (1868-1941) and Elizabeth (1869-1942) eventually found their way to Heidelberg in December 1872. He rented a house in Strydom Street, from this time until 8 September 1874, when he purchased the house from the widow of Jan Fredrik Mertz for £10 sterling. Andrew was an engraver by trade but became the local butcher in partnership with Petrys Uys.

Andrew Young Arthur’s granddaughter, Mary Kathleen Ward married John Edward Bruce in New York in 1945 when serving the Smut’s Government as its South African Ambassador. The property was inherited by her on 7 March 1967 and sold by her to Mr. Jack Taylor on 5 July 1982. 

3. An interesting feature of the Strydom Street facade is the timber casement window on either side of the entrance door which survive to this day. There is evidence to suggest that these windows might still contain the original glass installed at the time – close inspection reveals the names of the Arthur children, apparently scratched by them on the inside surface some 100 years ago.

At the time that Jack Taylor bought the house, in 1982, it was occupied by tenants and had fallen into a state of disrepair. Before actually occupying the house, he did alterations and additions in a sensitive and sympathetic manner. Timber framed windows were re-used wherever possible and demolition sites and pawn shops were visited to ensure obtaining and using authentic components in the works. He also set about painstakingly removing the existing layers of paintwork from the timber doors and windows fronting Strydom Street in order to reveal the natural Oregon pine finish. 
(Source: DH Rodd Study)

The Arthur family attended the Klipkerk and when the Methodist Church started in Heidelberg they moved their worship to the Methodist Church, until the arrival of the Presbyterian Church in the 1900s.
The Eldest son of Andrew Young Arthur, John (1868-1941) married a Miss van Zyl whose father was a member of the Volksraad of the then Transvaal Republic government. From this union a daughter was born who was christened, Sarah Johanna Arthur (1872-1929), at the Klipkerk, who married a Vernon Russell Ryan and they named their son Arthur after his Great Grandfather’s surname. Arthur Ryan was christened in the Heidelberg Presbyterian Church on the 11th December 1920.

(Source: Article in the Heidelberg Heraut 13 October 2004)

There is a plaque in honour to the two Arthur children, Andrew (20) and Annabella (18) who died of Typhoid in 1897, within 3 days of each other, in the Heidelberg Methodist Church.

​Source: Heidelberg Heritage Association - Article Post (Click to visit website)