The story of Koppies’ Lace School

The Free State town of Koppies is known for the first school in lace-making that started here at the end of the Boer War, thanks to the initiative of Emily Hobhouse.
When the war ended, the country’s population was on its knees, and the rebuilding process from nearly nothing had to begin. Many people living in the camps had nowhere to go, and those who could return to their farms had nothing to start with. One of the helping hands, and there were many, came from Emily Hobhouse, who had made it her dedication to assist mainly the women of the Boerevolk.

She helped set up schools in weaving and spinning, but her pet project was producing lace. For that, she found Johanna Rood, a young woman of 19 at the time and went to Europe with her to study lace making in Belgium and Italy.

For health reasons, Emily could not return to South Africa. It was left to Johanna to get the first school in lace-making going in Koppies.

Today, one can see a small exhibition about this school and Emily Hobhouse in the Emily Hobhouse Retirement Home in Koppies. It has some history, some of the products of the school and some pictures. If one shows interest, more items come out of the cupboards, like a collection of newspaper cuttings, reports on life in the camp and the recovery after the war, more of the lace (apparently Emily had developed a unique pattern of lace only produced in Koppies) and the best is an original letter by Emily to Johanna written in 1924, two years before Emily died in 1926.
A monument to Emily’s work in Koppies is at the NG church. It is a needle and thread, symbolising Emily’s work in Koppies. The school lasted until 1930; its products could not compete against machine-produced lace.