Melrose House
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Melrose House is a stately Victorian mansion located in Pretoria, South Africa. The house was built in 1886 by the prosperous Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys. It was named after the famous Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Melrose House gained fame during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) when Lord Roberts requisitioned it as the headquarters for the British forces, after Pretoria was invaded in June 1900. For more than eighteen months instructions for the British forces in the field were issued from here. This chapter in the House's history was closed when the Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the war was signed there on 31 May 1902.
Today this elegant house is a museum that stands as a superb example of the transition of Victorian to Edwardian architectural styles and interiors. The interior is characterised by colourful stained glass windows, paintings by English artists, carpets in rich colours, ornate ceilings and fireplaces, as well as valuable porcelain ornaments. The majority of these items belonged to the Heys family itself.
