Schreiner House

New Exhibitions at Olive Schreiner House Museum

Amazwi is pleased to reveal new exhibitions at Olive Schreiner House Museum! Completed in June 2026, the new exhibitions are a complete update to the previous. They include new items that Amazwi has acquired and which are on display for the first time, paired with engaging graphics that offer insight into the life and work of South African Literary Legend, Olive Schreiner.

About the house

9 Cross Street was once the home of Olive Schreiner, author of the renowned novel The Story of an African Farm, from 1867 to 1870. The house may be one of the oldest in Cradock, as a building is shown on this site on an 1850 map of Cradock. Then it consisted of only a few rooms but between the property’s first registration in 1847, and 1867 when Theo Schreiner rented it from Jemima Sidey, it changed hands several times and was enlarged and modified. In the 1980s the house was bought by AA Mutual Life Assurance Association and restored with funds provided by the local town council. The property was donated to Amazwi and opened as a museum in 1986. It was declared a National Monument in 1988.

Olive Schreiner is considered one of South Africa’s most important authors. In 2003 she was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold by the South African Government for her exceptional contribution to literature and her commitment to the struggle for human rights and democracy. The award is on display in the House, together with other fascinating artifacts from Schreiner’s writing life.

Enquiries | schreinerhouse@amazwi.museum OR info@amazwi.museum | 0466227042 (Makhanda HQ)