The old picture today is of the entrance to Durban’s Mitchell Park, and in the background you can see King’s House, today Dr John Dube House, which was built as a residence for the governor general of Natal.
Today, the trees have grown to such an extent it is impossible to see John Dube House from the entrance of the park. From a position high up on Montpellier Road which overlooks the park, you can just make out the famed dome above the park.
Mitchell Park was named after Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell, who established it in early 1910 as an ostrich farm which turned out to be anything but profitable. He soon added a number of animals and the park became an attraction for local residents. The old picture was probably taken shortly after it opened.
At one time Mitchell Park was home to many large animals, the most notable of which was an Indian Elephant named Nellie, who was given to the zoo by the Maharajah of Mysore in 1928, and could blow a mouth organ and crack coconuts with her feet.
Today Mitchell Park has a whole host of small animals and birds, including crocodiles, buck, raccoons, cranes, monkeys and tortoises. There is a walk-through aviary that allows you to get close-up views of many beautiful bird varieties.
The history of King’s House begins in 1872 when Durban Mayor WM Palmer welcomed Lieutenant-Governor Anthony Musgrave to Natal and said he hoped the governor would “devote some portion of each year to a residence in Durban”. Palmer said the town would provide a “marine residence suited to Your Excellency’s state and dignity”.
In 1875 the Natal Government voted £2 500 for the building and asked Durban for a site in Albert Park. Durban replied that these lands were inalienable and offered instead a site in the west end of the town adjoining the Park. The government refused this offer and bought Portsdown House, a house built for Hugh Gillespie in 1856. This was later found too small and Overport House was used instead.
Finally in 1901 Mayor John Nicol announced that a marine residence would be built at Montpelier. A sum of £15 000 was voted for the building, later revised to £28 000.
The chief architect of the Department of Public Works, AE Dainton, in association with a Pietermaritzburg firm of architects, Stott and Kirby, carried out the design. On 29 June 1904 Sir Henry Bale, the Chief Justice of Natal became the first occupant. A civic lunch was held to celebrate the opening.
Sir Henry McCallum was the first Governor to stay at King’s House.
How King’s House acquired its name is speculation. For many years the name was attributed to the visit of the British royal family to the home in 1947, but mayoral minutes of 1907 already describe the marine residence as King’s House.
Another theory is that following King Edward VII’s serious illness in 1902, it was thought that he might recuperate at the marine residence.
King’s House welcomed its first royal guests in 1906 when their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Princess Patricia paid a quick visit to Durban.
With the establishment of South Africa in 1910, the house became the official residence of the Governor General when in Durban, and later the state president.
In 2012, President Jacob Zuma renamed Kings House to Dr John L Dube House.