Rudd House, Belgravia

Why Kimberley Matters

Over the years, we have noticed that many of our guests—whether visiting Kimberley for business or leisure—have wondered why this remarkable city has played such an important role in South Africa's history over the past 160 years.

These pages invite you on a coffee-table journey through Kimberley's past, from the discovery of the Eureka Diamond in 1867 and the Great Diamond Rush, through wars, political change and the rise of the world's diamond industry, to the city we know today. They are not intended to be an academic history, but rather an enjoyable introduction to the people, places and events that shaped Kimberley.

So, make yourself comfortable, pour a cappuccino or a cup of chai, and enjoy exploring the remarkable story of one of South Africa's most fascinating cities.

The Bungalow at 5 Loch Road

Hidden among mature trees in the quiet suburb of Belgravia stands one of Kimberley's most remarkable historic homes. Today known simply as Rudd House, this beautifully restored residence forms part of the McGregor Museum and offers visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of Kimberley's wealthy families during the city's diamond boom.

Although many visitors admire its striking verandahs, rooftop belvedere and elegant gardens, the house began life much more modestly. Built during the late 1880s on Plot 931, it was originally a simple four-room residence known as The Bungalow. Over the decades it was enlarged several times as successive owners adapted the home to changing family needs, eventually creating the rambling Victorian residence seen today.

A Room Above the Trees

Perhaps the most memorable feature of Rudd House is its unusual roof-top belvedere. Accessible by an external staircase, it combines an enclosed viewing room with an open observation deck above. Long before Belgravia's trees matured, family members could look across Kimberley from this elevated vantage point. It remains one of the most distinctive surviving architectural features of any historic house in the city.

The separate glasshouse in the garden, decorative timber verandahs, corrugated-iron roofs and mature gardens together create one of Kimberley's finest surviving late Victorian residential estates.

Did you know...?

A belvedere is an architectural structure specifically built in an elevated position to take advantage of a scenic view. The term originates from the Italian words bel (meaning 'beautiful') and vedere (meaning 'view').

Olympic Glory

The house also has an important sporting connection. Henry Percy Rudd's son, Bevil Rudd, became one of South Africa's greatest athletes. After attending St Andrew's College in Grahamstown and studying as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, he won the 400 metres at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games, becoming one of South Africa's earliest Olympic champions.

Bevil and his wife, Ursula Knight, lived at Rudd House until 1930. Their eldest son, Bevil John Blyth Rudd, was born in the house in 1927, and Bevil himself died here in 1948. Henry Percy Rudd remained at Rudd House until moving to St James, Cape Town, in 1954. Following his death in 1961, the property stood empty for a time after its contents were auctioned.

Saved for Future Generations

Rudd House might easily have disappeared. In 1968, Dr Richard Liversidge, Director of the McGregor Museum, persuaded De Beers Consolidated Mines to purchase the property and donate it to the museum. The agreement required the museum to restore the house and furnish it appropriately. Because many original decorative finishes survived—including wallpapers, paintwork and fittings from the 1920s—the restoration adopted an Art Deco interpretation reflecting the house during the later years of the Rudd family's occupation.

Today, Rudd House remains one of Kimberley's finest preserved historic homes, illustrating how the city's leading mining families lived during the golden age of the diamond industry. Although the house is only occasionally open to visitors by prior arrangement with the McGregor Museum, its impressive exterior can still be admired through the front gate.