The Ladysmith Siege Museum

Description

The Ladysmith Siege Museum is located in Ladysmith, KwaZulu Natal, and is considered to be the best Anglo Boer War museum in the country. The building that houses the museum was built in 1884. During the Siege it was used as ration post for civilians, and it was then used as a marketplace, museum, and library. The foyer houses the Tourism Information Office and an excellent bookshop with an array of books related to the Anglo Boer War. Among these are 6 diaries written during the siege.

Tours

You can take guided tours but there are also a couple of pamphlets, such as the Siege Town Walkabout and the Siege town Drive-About, that allow one to do self-guided tours.

The Siege

A diorama depicts Ladysmith at the time of the Siege, which occurred on 30 October 1899 when Boer forces under Commandant-General Piet Joubert forced British troops into Ladysmith and surrounded the town. The siege was not broken until 29 February 1900 when British relief forces arrived, including a young Winston Churchill. By this time, starvation had set in and the British had suffered significant losses, many of them caused by disease.

Exhibits

The museum has a vast display of memorabilia, artefacts, maps, uniforms, relics, and firearms relating to the Siege of Ladysmith and the Anglo Boer War.