Most probably by far the largest  collection of curiosity and antiques in the Overberg region in the Western Cape, South Africa, can be found in some barns in the ‘outback’ of Napier. Skilled craftsman Mike Pope has been collecting the items during his entire life. The private collection is NOT accessible for the general public.

When visiting him he apologizes himself for the mess. There are still rooms where parts of his collection are piled up, waiting for restoration. The barns and his house are stacked with surprises from floor to ceiling. It’s a different world out there and wandering through his collection I find it no surprise that there is an interest from diverse museums.

The age of the thousands of items goes back to far beyond the Boer War but there are also newer things like an electric grass cutter which, he says, will be a curiosity in a hundred years time …