Liliesleaf Farm

I decided that I really wanted to visit Liliesleaf Farm this holiday as we are staying so close to it at the moment. It became famous during the Rivonia Treason Trial in 1963 and is now an interactive museum. It didn't disappoint me. There is so much information set out in such a clever way that you just want to find out more!

The main farmhouse has been restored together with the outbuildings and they house all the information. The history of the time which describes the move of the liberation parties to an armed struggle is pieced together through the various exhibits. Nelson Mandela had already been captured when the rest of the struggle leaders met here at the farm and the police raided and arrested them. The Rivonia Treason Trial lasted a year and culminated in most of them receiving life sentences on Robbin Island.

The photo I chose to Blip is of the actual safari vehicle they used to smuggle arms from as far as Kenya and Tanganika into South Africa. It was disguised as a tour company and the tourists were unaware that hidden under their seats was a tonne of arms. We were able to climb inside and watch a couple of short films about how the tour company operated and how they loaded and off-loaded the arms. In all they made 40 trips and were never discovered.

I love history, so this was a great day for me and I know we will be back there again soon!

I have loaded more photos here on my flickr set