Fine and interesting examples of paintings and decorative art of special relevance to the Cape are to be found in the William Fehr Collection. Contained in the collection is a wealth of historical information concerning the peoples and landscapes of early colonial South Africa. It is one of the most important public collections of artefacts of the period.

The collection, on a certain level, can be viewed as a reflection of the outlook and aesthetics of one person. William Fehr was born in 1892 in Burghersdorp, Cape. A businessman by profession, he cherished a love of pictorial art. It was in the late 1920s that his attention turned to collecting South African-related paintings, prints and drawings. He later extended his interest to furniture and other objects.

William Fehr acquired objects and artworks at a time when there were still few private collectors and little systematic collecting by local public institutions. He lent his collection for public exhibition at the Castle in 1952. In 1964, the South African government purchased his oil paintings, furniture, ceramics, metal and glassware. In the following year, he donated his unique collection of artworks on paper to South Africans, to be placed in Rust en Vreugd, a short distance away from the Castle. Dr William Fehr died in 1968.

In 2016, the Castle had gone through its restorations during its 350^th commemoration and re-curated the exhibition through the theme “Rethinking William Fehr” and is exhibited in two sections of the Castle, namely the “Governors” resident and parliament and the “Secunda” house, the residence of the second in command.