8541RB Reading for Me Level 4 Part A

Factual
The Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in South Africa. It was
built between 1666 and 1679 by Dutch settlers. Cape Town was a supply
station for passing ships.
The castle was planned around a water well. It was the shape of a
pentagon. The five corners are bastions. A bastion is a structure built at
an angle to help people defend the building from different directions.
Three hundred sailors, soldiers, slaves and local men and women worked
very hard to build the castle. They had to break stones and collect
seashells. These were burned in lime ovens to form very hard cement.
It is called a castle because it was like a small town. If it was only to
defend, it would have been called a fort. There was a bakery, a church,
living quarters, workshops and shops inside the castle. There were also
prison cells and a dungeon. The dungeon was better known as the ‘dark
room’. In those days, horseshoes were sometimes put on doors for good
luck. The horseshoe on the dungeon was put upside down. This meant that
your luck had run out.
The bell at the front gate weighs 300 kg. It could be heard 10 km away. It
was used to warn people of danger. The bell was also used to announce
the time. It rang every hour. The guard on duty used a sundial to tell the
time. At night-time or on cloudy days, the guard had to turn an hourglass
every time he rang the bell.
In 1936, the castle was declared a national monument. Today, the castle
houses the Castle Military Museum. It also serves as the headquarters
for the South African Army. If you ever find yourself in Cape Town, book
a tour of the Castle of Good Hope and experience the history the castle
has to offer.
54 Reading for Me Level 4 (Part A) 978-1-922843-63-0 R.I.C. Publications ® Prim-Ed Publishing