Granite Quarry & Museum Paarl

J A Clift, established in 1906, supplies the granite for significant buildings and monuments in and around Paarl. Favourites are the African animal heads on the keystones of the Provincial Building on Wale Street, Cape Town. On a much larger scale are the Rhodes Memorial and Huguenot Monument at the top end of Franschhoek. More recent examples are the pedestal tables in Babylonstoren’s Greenhouse cafe as well as kitchen counter tops, bespoke basins and gravestones.

Fourth generation, Jimmy Clift, is showing us round their quarry, factory and museum on Friday 1 November. He will tell us about the origin and ethics of their business (they started a school for kids unable to be in mainstream education).

This quote is on their website:

When we build let us think we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work that our descendants will thank us for…

John Ruskin (1819 – 1900)

We will learn why granite is used in buildings and how it is mined, then finished in the factory. Some techniques have been modernised, others not.

We meet at the factory:

J A Clift

Concordia Street

Paarl, 7646

Western Cape, South Africa

10am to noon, Friday 1 November.

R400 (free for full time design students and the very long term unemployed); email me on how to pay and to book:

kate@cultureconnectsa.com

+27 (0)72 377 8014

Do join me for an optional lunch at Groot Parys in their special private venue space, a seven minute drive away.

This event is a first for Culture Connect. It is unlikely to be repeated for a while.