The Big Hole Mine Museum
Why Kimberley Matters
Kimberley has played an extraordinary role in South Africa's history for more than 150 years.
From diamonds and the Great Diamond Rush to war, political change and the growth of the international diamond industry, the city has helped shape modern South Africa.
These pages are an informal journey through the people, places and events that made Kimberley remarkable. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy exploring the story of one of South Africa's most fascinating cities.
Kimberley skyline viewed across The Big Hole from the cantilever viweing platform
Kimberley's Famous Diamond Attraction
Standing on the edge of the famous Big Hole is one of Kimberley's most popular visitor attractions. The Big Hole Mine Museum tells the story of how a quiet farming district became the centre of the world's diamond industry almost overnight.
More than simply a mining museum, it recreates the atmosphere of Kimberley during the extraordinary years of the Great Diamond Rush. Through restored buildings, original artefacts, exhibitions and interactive displays, visitors can experience the sights, sounds and stories of a town transformed by the discovery of diamonds.
The Big Hole from the viewing platform
Where a City Was Born
Following the discovery of the Eureka Diamond in 1867 and the Star of South Africa in 1869, thousands of prospectors from around the world converged on the Diamond Fields. In July 1871, rich deposits were discovered on the farm Vooruitzicht, giving rise to the settlement known as New Rush.
Within months, what had been open veld became a bustling mining camp filled with tents, corrugated iron buildings, trading stores, hotels, workshops, theatres and countless hopeful diggers searching for fortune.
Among those arriving during these remarkable years were Cecil Rhodes, Barney Barnato, Alfred Beit and many others who would go on to shape both Kimberley and South Africa.
Diggers searching for diamonds outside their shacks and houses
The Big Hole
No visit would be complete without standing at the viewing platform overlooking the Big Hole itself.
Excavated almost entirely by hand between 1871 and 1914, the Big Hole remains one of the largest hand-dug excavations ever created.
It measures approximately 17 hectares in area, has a perimeter of about 1.6 kilometres, and reaches a depth of around 215 metres, although subsequent debris and water now cover the original bottom.
Millions of tonnes of rock were removed by thousands of miners using little more than picks, shovels and buckets. As mining progressed deeper underground, increasingly sophisticated engineering techniques replaced the early open workings until operations finally ceased in August 1914.
Inside the exhibition halls are displays explaining the discovery of diamonds, early mining methods, the growth of De Beers, and the people whose lives were changed by the industry. Original mining equipment, historical photographs, maps and personal artefacts help bring Kimberley's remarkable story to life.
Did You Know?
The development of the Big Hole Mine Museum has witnessed a three-stage evolution since 1952.
Each generation built on the work of the previous one:
- Cyril Harris had the vision to save Kimberley’s historic buildings.
- Basil Humphreys turned them into one of South Africa’s first major open-air social history museums.
- De Beers reimagined the site for the twenty-first century, ensuring that the Big Hole would continue to tell Kimberley’s story long after large-scale mining had ended.
First Generation (1952–1967)
Local historian Cyril B. Harris persuaded De Beers to preserve Kimberley’s historic buildings instead of allowing them to disappear. The earliest museum grew gradually around the edge of the Big Hole as buildings and artefacts were donated by local residents.
Second Generation (1967–1971)
Basil Humphreys transformed this collection into a coherent open-air museum, recreating the atmosphere of Kimberley during the Diamond Rush. His work became the centrepiece of the city’s centenary celebrations in 1971.
Third Generation (2002–2006)
Recognising both the historical significance of the site and the need for Kimberley to diversify beyond mining, De Beers invested R50 million to create the modern Big Hole Experience. The redevelopment combined Humphreys’ historic town with a state-of-the-art visitor centre, interactive exhibits and new viewing facilities, establishing one of South Africa’s premier heritage attractions.
Visiting the Old Town
The museum recreates many aspects of Victorian Kimberley life. Visitors can stroll along reconstructed streets lined with period buildings, including shops, a church, boarding houses and businesses typical of the diamond rush era.
Kimberley’s Historic Trams
For six decades, trams were part of Kimberley's everyday life. From horse-drawn cars in the 1880s to steam trams and electric trams running through the city streets, the system reflected Kimberley’s rapid growth from a mining settlement into a modern industrial city.
Electrification did not happen overnight. Horse- and mule-drawn services continued alongside the electric system for several years, and only in 1914, when the Kenilworth route was converted, did the last mule trams disappear from Kimberley’s streets.
Kimberley’s regular tram service finally ended on 30 November 1947 with the closure of the Kenilworth route.
"Puffing Billy" Steam Tram. Introduced into Kimberley on 15 July 1900, this type of steam tram replaced mule-drawn tramcars on the route between Kimberley and Beaconsfield. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
The Heritage Tram
Nearly four decades after the original tram network closed, Kimberley revived part of its tramway as a heritage attraction. The heritage line opened in October 1985, using a 1.4 km route linking Kimberley City Hall with the Big Hole Mine Museum.
The tram used for the service has an especially interesting history. Open-sided four-wheel tram No. 1 was built in 1905 by the John Stephenson Company for the Kimberley and Alexandersfontein Electric Railway. In the mid-1920s it was converted into a maintenance vehicle, or “tower car”, used for work on the overhead electrical wires. Between 1983 and 1985 it was restored and converted back into a passenger tram for the new heritage service.
The heritage route is entirely single-track. It includes street running through the city as well as sections alongside the former Pniel Road and North Circular Road. Over the years, the service has been interrupted several times. It was suspended during redevelopment of the Big Hole museum complex in 2005 and resumed in November 2006. Operations stopped again in 2008 after concerns about erosion around the Big Hole led to the closure of part of Pniel Road. Mechanical work, including improvements to the tram’s braking system, was also required.
The tram returned to service in June 2010, although in more recent years it has operated only intermittently. Visitors wishing to experience the tram should check with the Big Hole Museum before travelling, as services are not guaranteed. Even when stationary, the surviving tram remains an important reminder of a period when electric trams were an everyday sight on Kimberley’s streets.
Heritage Tram No. 1 at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Built in 1905 for the Kimberley and Alexandersfontein Electric Railway, this beautifully restored open-sided tram once carried passengers through the Diamond City and today preserves the legacy of one of South Africa's earliest electric tram systems. Photo: Richard Jones, 2011.
Heritage Tram No. 1 in service at the Kimberley Mine Museum, 2011. Built in 1905 for the Kimberley & Alexandersfontein Electric Railways, this beautifully restored open-sided tram once carried visitors between Kimberley City Hall and the Big Hole, recreating one of South Africa's earliest electric tram journeys. Photo: Richard Jones, 2011.
Inside Heritage Tram No. 1 during a journey to the City Hall, 2011. The polished wooden benches and open-sided design recreate the experience enjoyed by Kimberley's tram passengers more than a century ago. Heritage services operated between City Hall and the Kimberley Mine Museum before the tram was withdrawn from service. Photo: Richard Jones, 2011.
The Transport Hall – From Horse Power to the Motor Age
The Transport Hall at the Big Hole Mine Museum preserves a fascinating collection of early vehicles that illustrate the transition from animal-drawn transport to the motor age. Among the exhibits are a Spider, Cape cart, buckboard, Scotch cart, Jewish hearse, an Anglo-Boer War ambulance stretcher carrier, and two particularly important early motor cars: a 1901 Panhard et Levassor and a 1906 Columbia Electric Victorian Phaeton.
The 1901 Panhard et Levassor is regarded as Kimberley’s first motor car. Purchased by Gardner Williams, the first General Manager of De Beers Consolidated Mines, it took to Kimberley’s streets for the first time on 3 July 1901, driven by his son Alpheus. Its appearance caused considerable excitement in a town where horse-drawn transport still dominated the roads. The vehicle was transferred to the Mine Museum in 1964 and is now preserved in the Transport Hall.
The 1906 Columbia Electric Victorian Phaeton belonged to Williams' wife. Powered by electricity rather than petrol, it could reach a top speed of about 21 km/h (13 mph) and was added to the museum collection in June 1961.
The 1901 Panhard et Levassor, believed to be Kimberley's first motor car, is on display in the Transport Hall at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
Also on display is a Jewish hearse that dates from the late nineteenth century. Originally, it consisted of a wooden box-style body mounted on a horse-drawn chassis and was pulled by two black horses. With the arrival of motorised transport, the original body was transferred to a six-cylinder Chevrolet chassis around 1926. It remained in use until the 1960s.
Jewish Hearse (Late 19th Century). Originally built as a horse-drawn hearse with a wooden body pulled by two horses, this vehicle was converted around 1926 by mounting the original body on a six-cylinder Chevrolet chassis. It remained in service until the 1960s, illustrating Kimberley's gradual transition from horse-drawn transport to motor vehicles. Photo: Richard Jones 2011
1906 Columbia Electric Victorian Phaeton Originally owned by the wife of Gardner Williams, the first General Manager of De Beers Consolidated Mines, this early electric car could reach about 21 km/h (13 mph). It is a striking reminder that electric motoring formed part of Kimberley’s transport story more than a century ago. Photo: Richard Jones 2011
Holmes’ Garage – Kimberley Enters the Motor Age
The Transport Hall's history is closely connected with Harold Holmes, an important figure in Kimberley’s early motoring history. Holmes arrived in South Africa from England in 1897. In Cape Town, he met Mr Garlick of Garlick’s Engineering Works in Kimberley, who offered him work assembling bicycles. When motor vehicles began appearing in Kimberley from 1901, Holmes quickly developed expertise in the engines used in both cars and motorcycles. He bought Garlick’s Engineering Works in 1907, and by 1908 the business was known as Holmes’ Garage.
By 1911, Holmes was importing Model T Fords, which he sold for £197. His engineering skills extended beyond motor vehicles. He also helped build the Compton-Paterson biplane associated with Kimberley’s pioneering aviation history. Holmes’ Garage was originally situated in Old Main Street and became an important part of Kimberley’s early motor industry. At its height, the business had branches in Kimberley, Vryburg and Barkly West.
Holmes' story neatly brings together several strands of Kimberley's transport history. Beginning with bicycles, he became involved in the city's emerging motor industry and then contributed his engineering skills to its pioneering aviation story. Few individuals illustrate the technological changes taking place in early twentieth-century Kimberley quite so well.
Holmes' Garage at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Founded by pioneering motor engineer Harold Holmes, the garage became one of Kimberley's earliest motor dealerships and workshops. Holmes imported Ford Model T motor cars from 1911 and played a leading role in the city's transition from horse-drawn transport to the motor age. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
The restored frontage of Holmes' Garage. Period Shell petrol pumps, vintage advertising and decorative Victorian ironwork recreate the appearance of one of Kimberley's earliest motor garages, where cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles were sold and serviced during the early twentieth century. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
The De Beers Directors' Train
At the Kimberley Mine Museum stands one of its most impressive railway exhibits: Steam Locomotive No. 462, coupled to the beautifully restored De Beers Directors' Pullman Coach. Together they evoke an era when railway travel was the fastest, most comfortable and most prestigious way to journey across southern Africa.
Built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1897 by Dübs and Company, this elegant 4-6-0 steam locomotive began its working life as Cape Government Railways No. 182 on the Western System. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), the locomotive was transferred to the Imperial Military Railways, where it was renumbered C509 and helped keep military supplies and personnel moving across South Africa's expanding railway network.
When the South African Railways (SAR) was established in 1912, the locomotive became No. 462, a designation it still carries today. After many years of service, it was preserved as part of South Africa's National Collection and now stands on permanent display at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Although no longer operational, No. 462 represents the type of locomotive that helped connect Kimberley with Cape Town, Johannesburg and the wider region during the height of the diamond industry.
Steam Locomotive No. 462 at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Built in Glasgow in 1897 by Dübs and Company, this Class 6A locomotive served the Cape Government Railways, the Imperial Military Railways during the Anglo-Boer War, and later the South African Railways. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
Steam Locomotive No. 462 leads the De Beers Directors' Pullman Coach at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Built only a year apart (1897–1898), the locomotive and coach together evoke the golden age of rail travel, when Kimberley's mining elite travelled in remarkable comfort across southern Africa. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
The De Beers Directors' Pullman Coach
Coupled behind the locomotive is an exceptionally rare Pullman coach built for the exclusive use of De Beers directors. Manufactured by the Pullman Company of Chicago and assembled in the De Beers Workshops in Kimberley in 1898, the coach provided luxurious accommodation for directors travelling over the main railway systems of South Africa and Rhodesia.
Unlike ordinary passenger coaches, the Pullman was designed as a travelling residence. Visitors can still admire its beautifully crafted timber interior, complete with upholstered lounges, an elegant dining area, private compartments and a compact kitchen where meals were prepared during long journeys. Every detail reflects the standards expected by the directors of one of the world’s most powerful diamond-mining companies at the turn of the twentieth century. The coach remained in service until 1937 before being preserved at its present location in 1954.
A Journey Back in Time
Together, Locomotive No. 462 and the De Beers Directors' Pullman Coach provide a rare glimpse into railway travel during Kimberley's golden age. They tell the story not only of steam locomotives and engineering, but also of the people who built and managed the diamond industry that shaped the city's history. Visitors can walk alongside the locomotive and explore the remarkably preserved Pullman coach, where polished woodwork, period furnishings, and original fittings recreate the atmosphere of luxury rail travel from more than a century ago.
The De Beers Directors' Pullman Coach. Built in 1898 for the exclusive use of De Beers directors, the coach travelled extensively on the South African and Rhodesian railway systems before being preserved at the Kimberley Mine Museum. Photo: Richard Jones, 2026.
Visiting the Big Hole Mine Museum
The Big Hole Mine Museum has two main areas:
a) The reconstructed old town
This heritage precinct includes the Heritage Tram, the De Beers Directors’ Train and Holmes’ Garage. Entry to this part of the museum is free.
Allow around 1–2 hours to explore the reconstructed old town, including the trams, the De Beers Directors’ Train, Holmes’ Garage and the surrounding historic buildings. Allow a little longer if the Heritage Tram is operating; a separate fare may apply.
b) The main Mine Museum
The main museum experience includes a short introductory film at the Visitor Centre, viewing the Big Hole, a guided visit through a replica underground mine, the diamond display and the main museum exhibition.
Allow around 2–3 hours for the full museum experience.
An entrance fee applies. The museum is normally open daily, except Christmas Day, from 08h00 to 17h00.
As opening arrangements can change, it is advisable to confirm current visiting times before travelling.
Address:
The Big Hole Mine Museum is off the West Circular Road in Kimberley's West End. It is just 3.5 km from Solomon Edwardian Guest House.
Contact:
Tel: 053 839 4600
Email: info@thebighole.com
A Journey Through Kimberley's History
The Big Hole Mine Museum is much more than a collection of mining exhibits. It tells the story of ambition, innovation, hardship and extraordinary change. Visitors discover how diamonds transformed a remote frontier into an internationally important city, laying the foundations of the modern diamond industry and shaping the economic and political history of southern Africa.
Whether you have just an hour to spare or several hours to explore, the museum offers one of the best introductions to Kimberley's remarkable past.
Continue Exploring Kimberley's Story
Kimberley's story is far bigger than a single page.
We hope these articles inspire you to explore more of the city's remarkable history, heritage and attractions. And if your journey brings you to Kimberley, Solomon Edwardian Guest House offers a comfortable base from which to discover it all.