Our history in your metre box
Brixton - There is some history behind your metre box
Our history in your metre box
Lesego Maja
lesegomaja@caxton.co.za
Brixton meter boxes potentially carry rich historical information about the suburb.
Resident Irene Haasbroek discovered a treasure of water and electricity meter readings that date back to the 1920s.
“People from City Power came to install a new metre box [on 9 October] and when they left, I saw a couple of papers sticking out from my old one,” Haasbroek recounted.
“I first pulled out my husband’s meter recordings and then realised that they were a lot more trapped behind there.”
The 62-year old has lived in Brixton since she was four years old and has occupied her current home for 27 years.
The meter reading cards were white, once upon a time, but have browned from lounging behind the box for all those years.
Haasbroek also noted that the handwriting was consistent for several years and wondered who the recorders were.
Among the cards she retrieved was a torn piece that hinted its age by the language it was written in, which Haasbrook suggests is Dutch.
“There are still some stuck in there and I wonder how far they date back,” Haasbroek speculated.
People’s homes could possibly carry key information that might potentially add to the books about the history of South Africa.
