Did You Know?
The Rice blockhouse at Deëlfontein, near De Aar in the Northern Cape, is a small, circular stone fortification built by British forces during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). It is one of many such blockhouses constructed to protect railway lines and key strategic points, particularly along the Cape Town–Kimberley–Pretoria railway corridor. Deëlfontein itself was a farm and later a military outpost, and the blockhouse was likely erected in 1899 or early 1900 as part of Lord Roberts' advance. The structure is named after the Rice family, who owned the farm at the time. Today, it stands as a preserved example of British blockhouse architecture, though little detailed documentation exists about its specific history.
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