The well-known Durbanville landmark, located opposite the Rose Garden, has been listed by Pam Golding Properties for R16.5 million.
“Steeped in history, with an enviable location affording magnificent mountain views, this property has plenty of development potential. It comes with commercial and residential rights, and could be used for a bespoke development on the 8 000m2 plot, or the manor house could serve as a boutique hotel,” say Lianda Pretorius and Sanet Schoonees, Pam Golding Properties agents for Durbanville. It has until recently been run as a successful coffee shop and function venue, and has hosted many idyllic weddings.
Evertsdal Opstal’s history dates back to 1680, when the land was leased by the Dutch East India Company to one of the earliest settlers at the Cape. Abraham Evert, originally from West Guinea, was given a sum of money to grow fruit and vegetables on the land. Evert also erected a fortified building to protect a fountain that was the origin of the Kuils River.
The farm was sold 19 years later to Hendrik Eksteen, who converted the Old Fort into a wine cellar. The original old wine machinery and wine vat are still on the farm today. Evert also built a homestead on the property in the Cape Dutch vernacular of the time. After part of the building was destroyed by fire, the home was renovated in the Victorian style. However, the Cape Dutch gable was later recreated and replaced. Evertsdal Opstal had several owners throughout the years, with the Schabort family enjoying the longest period of ownership from 1855 to 1973. The new owners thereafter renovated the manor house again, this time in the Baroque style that was popular in the 1780s.
Evidence of the property’s colourful past are evident throughout. The floor leading into the manor house is paved with baked tiles which were used as ballast in the old Batavian spice ships. Other artefacts include the old well below the house, underground tunnels for storage and the original slave bell. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms in the manor house, as well as a fully-equipped kitchen in the second homestead to run a restaurant. The dining room includes the original fireplace, and there’s an entertainer’s living room complete with Cape Dutch paintings and other treasured items, that could be included with the sale of the property. Preservation was important for all of Evertsdal’s owners, and today these antiques, old farm machinery and other historical pieces remain to tell the farm’s story.
“Durbanville’s rich history is one of many the reasons why buyers choose to settle in this part of Cape Town. It offers country-style living, with beautiful buildings and spaces, within easy driving distance of the Winelands and Cape Town. It is not often that one of its landmark buildings is on the market, so this is really an exciting listing,” says Annien Borg, Pam Golding Properties MD for Boland and Overberg.