The hexagonal Peperbus of Fraserburg

The Peperbus (Afrikaans for "pepper pot") was an unusual, hexagonal building on Meyburgh Street in Fraserburg, South Africa. Built in 1861 by Baster Adam Jacobs according to plans by Rev. Carl Arnoldus Bamberger, the building resembled an 18th-century Baroque pavilion with its curved lines and geometric design. While a line drawing shows the building as 10 m from foundation to ceiling, the structure itself is around 8 m high. It was originally intended to be a market house, but its role shifted over time as the local market declined. The building served as the town's first library, an office for the magistrate, town clerk, and curate, and was used for municipal elections and to store hospital furniture for the AACV. By around 1951, it served as the school board office.

In the 1960s, the city council established a committee to promote the building as a museum, but it remained vacant for many years. Restoration work began in April 2016, but the building collapsed on 26 September 2026. D.A. Kotzé described the building in 1951 as a typical feature of Fraserburg, stating, "No more complete is Pisa without its Leaning Tower, Egypt without its Sphinx, or Babel without its Tower, than Fraserburg without its Peperbus." He noted that while it might seem of little note to a passing outsider, an attentive visitor would find much of interest in its hexagonal stone walls, dome, and tower.

The Peperbus featured a large cockpit window 2.5 m in diameter and a tower that once held a bell. This bell served as an evening bell at 9:00, marking the curfew after which Cape Coloreds were no longer allowed on the streets. When the law was no longer enforced, the bell was hung by the side of the building, though it continued to ring at the same time each night. Years ago, there was talk of demolishing the building because it was difficult to repair, but following community feedback, the City Council agreed to leave it alone and provide electric night lighting to dissuade vandalism.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons