Series on Fabulous Architectural Styles – Part 6 – as Experienced by David Bell on a recent buying trip to the Eastern Cape, in South Africa.
THE ANN BRYANT ART GALLERY – East London
This elegant Victorian-style house was built by E.D.U. Bowen in 1905 for Mr Arthur Savage, father of the well-known local artist, Elaine Savage.
The Bryant’s bought the house in 1907 and built up a private art collection mainly of paintings by British and European artists of the later part of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Bryant’s stately home, known as “The Gables”, as well as a valuable collection of pictures, was bequeathed to the City of East London as an art gallery. The house was re-named The Ann Bryant Art Gallery.
The interior of the original house was altered somewhat to create more open, airy spaces for exhibiting the fine collection of artworks housed inside. The olde-world charm of the original building has been retained, with beautiful archways, stained glass panels and beautiful wood flooring, as well as ornate detailing on the exterior gables and stonework.