Fit for a king and a president - IOL

This week’s old picture is a very early postcard of Durban’s King’s House, shot in 1907 and posted on the Facebook page Durban History and Stories. The modern picture is taken from the Presidency website as it allows us to show the home without having to shoot through a mesh fence.

The history of King’s House begins in 1872 when Durban’s Mayor WM Palmer welcomed Lieutenant-Governor Anthony Musgrave to Natal and said he hoped His Excellency would "devote some portion of each year to a residence in Durban". Palmer told Musgrave that the town would provide a "marine residence suited to Your Excellency’s state and dignity".

But it wasn’t until 1901 that Mayor John Nicol announced that a marine residence was to be built on "the beautiful site at Montpelier". A sum of £15 000 was voted for the building, later augmented to £28 000.

The chief architect AE Dainton, in association with Pietermaritzburg architects Stott and Kirby, carried out the design. On June 29, 1904 Sir Henry Bale, the Chief Justice of Natal became the first occupant. A civic lunch was held to celebrate the opening.

Sir Henry McCallum was the first Governor to stay at King’s House. In 1906 it welcomed its first royal guests when Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, his wife Princess Louise Margaret and their youngest daughter Princess Patricia paid a quick visit to Durban.

In 1947 it hosted Britain’s King George VI and his family on a royal tour.

In 2012, President Jacob Zuma renamed King’s House to Dr John L Dube House, after the highly regarded educationist, journalist and first President of the African National Congress, Dr John Langalibalele Dube.