Excelsior Manor Guesthouse

History

During 1859 the first member of the De Wet clan began clearing the veld of the Little Karoo in today’s Robertson/Ashton area to create pasturage. By the end of the nineteenth century his three sons already showed their resourcefulness by breeding horses and vines on this land. The youngest brother, Jacobus Stephanus (Kowie), soon became one of the most successful ostrich breeders in the Robertson district on his farm Excelsior.

As ostrich plumes were the essence of haute couture at the time, the affluence of the trade was soon reflected in the “feather palace” architectural style. Kowie de Wet built at that time, producing an enormous farmhouse on Excelsior with the characteristic elegance of the Victorian era, embellished with impressive chimneys and Cape Dutch gables, as style known as Cape Revival. Here the De Wets lived and swanked with ornate European furniture and various forms of entertainment including dances, later also featuring regularly on the calendar of the Cape Hunt and Polo Club.

As the age of mechanization rolled in, the invention of the motorcar brought the fashion of ostrich feather millinery to a grinding halt. Voluptuous bonnets and boas were replaced by well tucked in scarves and tight fitting hats for jaunting around in the new speedy vehicles. With the collapse of the ostrich feather industry, Kowie and his son Oscar again resorted to breeding horses and vines, with Excelsior being one of the few farms which was not declared insolvent at the time.

Today the farm has been planted with noble cultivars like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are successfully sold locally and abroad.

The Manor House The original home has been extensively restored to its former glory.It has nine luxury en suite bedrooms prepared for the guest lodge. The spacious rooms provided adequate internal space for all this renovation without altering the external façade. Thus the tranquil proportions of the exterior have been retained, with the original wooden window frames and gables all intact from a century ago.

Many old trees grace the garden and these have been maintained. The northern side now offers a refuge of hedged in tranquility with fragrant old roses and a rose labyrinth to restore one’s soul. The south side of the house opens onto a wooden deck surrounding a deep blue swimming pool. This elevated but secluded deck offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the vineyards, the Langeberg, splendid sunsets and generally the ‘kingdom’ of this fertile valley.