BULAWAYO
Visiting the Bulawayo Railway Museum where Cecil John Rhodes' Railway Coach now calls home, was an experience I will always remember. This blog will be about Rhodes' Coach entirely. It was constructed in Chicago, USA, for De Beers Consolidated Mines, which Rhodes owned. The Coach was Rhodes' long distance transport, crafted with stunning carpentry and adorned with metal fittings and fixtures, creating an elegant first-class experience. In the photo below is the dining room, where my family and I are seated, here, Rhodes often entertained guests of honor and ministers. On the table is some of the cutlery, crockery and silverware that was used.
Rhodes purchased the Coach in 1896 and used it until 1902 when it made the long journey from Cape Town to Bulawayo carrying Rhodes' remains, where they were laid to rest in Matopos.
(Left) The passage on the Coach was very narrow, yet still adorned like the rest of the Coach with brass fittings and blinds on the windows. Off this passage was Rhodes' bedroom. Most the original furnishings throughout the train were taken away when his remains were transported. (Right) With that, in his bedroom we could see there was provision for a bed and a closest, and there was a Morse Code machine on the table.
Off the bedroom was also a bathroom, which had a toilet, basin, and half size bath. The basin, soap rack, and little water tank, was all brass. The same for the bath fixtures.
The next room off the passage could triple as a lounge, second dining room, and/or sleeping quarters for guests. The tables could fold away, and seats pushed together as you can see in the photo on the left to make up a bed. The overhead compartments also unfolded and could make another bed. Rhodes would host up to four guests in this area.
At the back of the Coach was the kitchen, and attached to it was also his private chef's room, which isn't pictured. (Left) The kitchen was fully equipped with a stove, sink with two taps, a cold box for keeping food cool, and a pantry. (Right) Off the kitchen was a door that opened onto the entryway of the Coach, just for the Chef so that he could shoot game along the way for provisions. The Coach went quite slowly that the Chef had time to get off, collect the meat and get back onto the train!
For one last fun fact about Rhodes' Coach, they were so advanced for their time in the 1800s, that Rhodes or his guests could summon his Chef, and the Chef would know who was calling him by this bell system pictured below.
Follow along to read and learn more about our beautiful country's history! Also, look out for the next blog post about the rest of our trip to the Railway Museum in Bulawayo.
Until next time,
Michelle
Photo credits: Michelle Lawson
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