Meller House in Pinetown, the original homestead of early pioneer Henry James Meller.
The old picture today is a very early picture of Pinetown showing Meller House, the home of Victorian settler and early Pinetown pioneer Henry James Meller. It comes from the website Durban History and Stories.
Photographer Tumi Pakkies and I were unsure whether we would be able to find the modern day equivalent as the only address we had was Meller Road, a continuation of School Road on the north side of Old Main Road. But there at number 6 was a big sign saying Meller House. However a massive wall completely shielded anything inside it.
We eventually shot the today picture from Greathead Lane (the house is on the corner) with Pakkies standing on a large pile of rubble and using my shoulders as support to try and see over the wall. I suspect Greathead lane is behind the hedge at the back of the original picture. But today it is the entrance to the property which seems to be a collection of small businesses.
To add to the confusion, Meller is sometimes spelled Mellor in historical documents, although the street is Meller, and it’s written this way on the man’s grave stone.
