Oudtshoorn Feather Palaces

Between roughly 1880 and 1914 ostrich feathers were essential to European and American fashion - on hats, boas and gowns - and the Klein Karoo around Oudtshoorn had the birds and the climate to farm them. Prices reached levels compared to precious metal by weight, and the farmers who profited built what became known as feather palaces: large sandstone houses with turrets, pressed ceilings, imported fittings and elaborate ironwork, put up as displays of sudden wealth. Then the market died. Motor cars made large hats impractical, the First World War closed European markets, and the price collapsed almost overnight in 1914; fortunes vanished and houses were left half-finished or sold. Several survive around the town, some as guesthouses or museums including the CP Nel Museum in the old boys' high school building, and the ostrich industry continues on meat and leather instead.

Highlights

• The boom houses - sandstone mansions with turrets and imported fittings from the feather years.
• The 1914 collapse - a market that ended almost overnight with cars and war.
• The CP Nel Museum - the town museum holding the feather-era story.
• The surviving industry - ostrich farming continuing on meat and leather.

When to go

March to May and September to November. Half a day. Summer heat in the Klein Karoo is heavy.

Before you go

Most of the palaces are private homes or working farms and are seen from the road only. Museum hours are limited. Ostrich show-farms in the area offer riding, which welfare organisations object to - the choice is yours to make informed.

Nearby

The Cango Caves are north; the Swartberg Pass climbs beyond them.