Hawksmoor House

Hawksmoor is a wine farm and guest house, with extensive gardens.
According to the original document on display at Hawksmoor House, the land was deeded in 1692 by Simon van der Stel, one of the first governors at the Cape. However, research into the archives shows a recorded date of 28 June 1701 signed by Willem Adriaan van der Stel. The farm Waarburg, named after Wartburg Castle, Eisenach in Germany, where Martin Luther was brought to be isolated, belonged first to Reverend Hercules van Loon.

The name Matjeskuil (the Afrikaans version now being Matjieskuil) first appeared in 1826 and ten years later the farm was also called The Hope. Of the various speculative farmers who used it for cattle and cereal crops (as we do today), some were very successful, and some not. Tobacco farming at its peak was amazingly profitable, creating huge wealth.

The present owners, Mark Borrie and Simon Olding, named the farm Hawksmoor House on Matjieskuil Farm. Simon was intent on keeping the Dutch name whereas Mark Borrie preferred a name that was pronounceable by European visitors. Having lived near Christchurch near Spitalfields (Saint Alfège, the most famous church by 17th century architect Nicholas Hawksmoor is a few miles away), Simon registered the name for his antiques business and when he and Mark could not agree on a name for the guest house they compromised and also used the name Hawksmoor.

The first building on the farm to be renovated by the present owners was the manor house which now houses 5 bedrooms, offering guests a rare opportunity to stay in a 17th century home. Thereafter followed the renovations to the ‘slawehuisie’ (slave cottages), the sheds and finally the dairy, now providing a total of 16 guest rooms. All buildings were erected on original footprints of the existing farm buildings or outhouses.

Hawksmoor’s gardens follow the structure of the original Cape Dutch homestead; the predominant feature is the open werf with its ancient oaks framing the historic Manor House. The gardens themselves are in keeping with a working farm and although the majority of plants are indigenous they are interlaced with classical European plants. One of the most striking and renowned features of the gardens at Hawksmoor House is the reflection pond with the Cypresses standing guard and the Lavender fields surround it, while Table Mountain takes centre stage. The abundance of Dietes (Wood Irises) and Watsonia provide a spectacular floral show through spring and summer.

Over the centuries the property saw varied types of produce ranging from tobacco to sheep to wine. The still fully operational farm is now producing oats, hay, luzerne, and more recently butternut squash and green beans. It is also home to approximately 90 head of red Angus cattle. There are 28 ha under grape with some vines being 29 years old. The grapes grown at Matjieskuil are used exclusively to make a selection of prize winning wines, mainly Chenin, Pinotage, Mourvèdre, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc under the Hawksmoor at Matjieskuil label.