The Georgian-style manor house at Hathersage was built in 1920, and consists of an upstairs family wing with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, and sumptuous living areas downstairs, including a lounge with imported teak sash windows and ceilings nearly 6m high.
A magnificent wine and fruit farm that traces its history back several centuries is for sale in the heart of Somerset West’s Helderberg Valley.
Hathersage, at the foot of Schapenberg between the Hottentots Holland and Helderberg ranges, occupies over 41ha of what is widely regarded as some of the country’s finest wine-producing land. The farm’s gracious ambience and beautiful natural setting have established it as a sought-after wedding venue, and its young vineyards are also beginning to win praise.
The property is being marketed by Pam Golding Properties at R73.395 million. Alternatively, the farm can be sold in eight separate portions for which subdivision is already approved, according to PGP’s project manager for the sale, Louise Varga.
The subdivided portions vary in size from 1 000 m2 to 19ha, priced between R1.14m and R19.38.
Hathersage was originally part of the Vergelegen estate - one of South Africa’s oldest wine farms, established in 1700. Within a decade, the vast original holdings of some 30 000ha had been sub-divided, and this process continued into the 20th century. Hathersage itself was developed in the early 1900s, when renowned artist Edward Roworth bought the property and built its manor house. Roworth was an Englishman who cam to South Africa during the South African War, and he named the farm after his home village of Hathersage in the Derbyshire Peak District. In doing so, he lent the farm a double literary connection, as Hathersage in the UK featured prominently in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and also has links with the legend of Robin Hood, whose companion Little John is reputed to be buried in Hathersage’s St Michael’s church. The image of this church now appears on the wine labels of Hathersage, Somerset West.
Roworth was renowned for his landscapes and portraits, and his artistic legacy has endured at Hathersage thanks to a series of murals painted in the manor house by his daughter Ivanonia and another famed South African artist, Heinrich von Michaelis.
The Georgian homestead was built in 1920. It consists of an upstairs family wing with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, and sumptuous living areas downstairs, including a hall, dining room, study and lounge with imported teak sash windows and ceilings nearly 6m high. A long veranda overlooks the gardens, and can be enclosed with blinds for the winter months. The kitchen opens onto a separate two-bedroom granny flat with its own kitchen and dining areas, and the yard opens onto a stable block built in the 1700s, which has been converted into a brandy cellar.
Varga says other remnants of the original Vergelegen farm can be found in the gardens, in the form of two 300-year-old pear trees and a number of ancient oaks.
“The farm’s gardens and riverine woods, bisected by the Lourens River, span over 13ha,” she says, “and offer wonderful views of the Hottentots Holland and Helderberg mountains. The woods contain numerous rare trees and indigenous wildlife, and the lawns are sought-after as a summertime picnic venue, as well as hosting a monthly market showcasing local goods, crafts and produce.
“This setting also proves ideal for weddings, small conferences and functions for up to 350 guests, and the farm has numerous support services and buildings for this purpose, including a small chapel, a large marquee and a caterers’ kitchen.”
Wine must have played a part in the farm’s early history, and there is an old cellar on the property dating back to around 1780. However PGP’s MD for the Boland and Overberg regions, Annien Borg, says the vineyards were later converted to orchards, and the farm began producing outstanding fresh produce including yellow peaches and plums.
“Grapes were only reintroduced to the property on an experimental basis in 2004,” she says, “with the crop being sold to neighbouring Vergelegen. But the clear success of this venture has led to the rollout of vineyard activities on a wider scale, to the point where Hathersage now has some 12ha under grape, and its own wine label, which is showing great promise. The terroir is similar to that of Bordeaux - specifically its Medoc district - allowing for elegant wines to be produced from a number of cultivars, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Although only marketed since 2007, several Hathersage wines have already earned four-star ratings in the Platters Guide.”
Call Chris Baker on 083 407 5024 or email chris.baker@pamgolding.co.za.
