History with a modern twist in the tail and we discovered a national treasure.
On the third day of our visit to this city suburb, I struck gold, as I decided to turn our car into the road to this property.
In here you will find the history about the origin of this old house and in the second part of the post, you will discover a very nice surprise. From the outset I have to tell you that we had no plans to visit here, as we didn't even know about it's existence and I was only driving around to try and get some photos for my blog.
But just as well that we did turn in here and come with to share our find.
As usual, I asked to see the manager for my permission to take photos and instead the owner came out to take us on a short tour of the place.
Bear this date below in mind, as you will see a different date a bit lower down.
Lady Marian was in a discussion here with one of the staff members.
Right, here is the date that this house was built in 1760, as you can see at the top left of this plaque. The suburb Bellville was a city at the time.
And here below you will see that one guy Nicolaas Loubser started this farm in 1677. It was one of the biggest wine farms in the area, as several owners afterwards continued to develop the farm.
The outer walls of the farmhouse and the buildings at the back of the house were built of these thick rocks that have an iron content. So, the walls are as thick as a modern safe.
I love the yellow wood doors and frames, and the floors were also done with yellow wood planks.
One of the old original fireplaces that was replaced with a thin metal stove. The wall and floor tiles are all original.
A hint of something at the right of the picture here that I will show you below.
And now for the modern twist in the tail.
This is how the main entrance of the house was converted into a modern dining room.
But wait! Let's go around to the buildings at the back of the house. Look what's happening here.
The roof and the floor tiles are original, but the bar and tables were added to convert the space into a pub.
The same over here and there were TV'S with sporting programs all over the dining areas.
Then we were told to go and have a look at what's inside this building that had the look of a chapel.
So, how many ancient ghosts were waiting for us to enter here?
Surprise! No ghosts as this looked like some meeting room.
But turn around and what do you see? Wow! A pizza oven.
Yep! A real wood fired pizza oven and a bar of special wines on the wall at the back.
So, after all of the surprises, we sat at a table outside with two latte coffees to chat about this wonderful discovery.
Beautiful views were on show.
Finally, if ever you find yourself on the Jip de Jager road in the suburb of Bellville, Cape Town, then don't forget to turn in at this road sign below. You are also welcome to Google, "De Oude Social Cafe, Bellville, Cape"
I for one love to discover old places and the history behind them. When I asked the owner if she ever spent the night on the premises, in the old house, she quite blandly told me no, as she is too young to go to a mad house, after the ghosts had tackled her :)
I did feel that we were walking in the cloud of witnesses, as so many feet had visited that house since the 1600's.
This was a great find and I get heartsore when I stand outside and I see all of the developments that were built, in what was once one of the biggest and prestigious farms in the area. Now it is all gone, as almost as if it has never existed. And only the old house still stands to tell the history of days gone by. How many marriages, deaths, and lives have passed over time? And one day, it will all be over for us. Almost as if we also had never existed. Funny, when you think about it.
I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and the story.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
