Event information
This is a house museum which forms part of the Dutch Reformed Church complex in Potchefstroom. It was once the home of JD du Toit, who used the nom de plume Totius, a poet and theologian most famous for his translation of the Bible into Afrikaans. He also published nine volumes of poetry, and the museum conserves details of his life and writings.
The entire contents of the house originated from the Du Toit family. It features furniture, pictures, utensils, books and Pierneef paintings: testimony to the close friendship between poet and artist.
The building itself is a typical example of a town house built during the Edwardian period. It was built when the Theological School of the Reformed Church had to be moved from Burgersdorp to Potchefstroom. It was built to an almost exact replica of the ground plans of the rector’s home in Burgersdorp.
Although the house was completed in 1905 and occupied by the principal of the Theological School, Professor Cachet, until 1911, it was only then that it became the residence of Totius.
