history of d'Ouwe Werf hotel

In 1686, at the bidding of Governor Simon van der Stel and the Reverend Johannes Overneij, the foundation of the colony's first church was laid in the Stellenbosch settlement. Until then regular services had been held either on board ship in Table Bay or in the Castle in Cape Town. The story of this church was first told in detail in Dr. André Hugo's book: "Die Kerk van Stellenbosch" (1963).

The garrison church first used in the inner court of the Castle at the Cape in 1666, was in reality nothing but a carpenter's shed which was also employed as a warehouse. Church services were also held in the great hall of the Castle and after 1695 in the newly completed Kat. The "Groote Kerk" in Cape Town was only inaugurated in 1703.

The new church in Stellenbosch was constructed of local clay and stone, with a rough plaster and lime-coated finish, most probably yellowwood beams and boards, a simple gable and a thatched roof. It was completed and consecrated in May the following year, but then destroyed by a fire fanned by a fierce south-easterly gale that swept through the frontier village in December 1710. From the earliest-known drawings of Stellenbosch, done around this time by E. V. de Stade, it can be seen that the little rectangular church even had a small belfry.

For several decades after the fire, until the land was deconsecrated and divided into erven, the church werf or yard stood empty. In 1802 the Wium family opened a Herberg, or Inn, on this ground. This is now the site of d'Ouwe Werf Country Inn - South Africa's oldest and most historic hotel. The historical remains of this little church can be seen beneath the floorboards or the kitchen.

A second terrible fire in December 1803 swept through the town, reducing much of it to charred ruins and ashes. Among the 42 houses and numerous other buildings that were razed or damaged was d'Ouwe Werf. The fire was found to have been arson traced back to a pair of slaves who were tried and publicly hanged.

From the ashes rose a Cape Dutch Inn, complete with front gable and steeply pitched thatched roof, only to topple in a third fire in the 1890s when the facade was remolded on vaguely Georgian lines. Charred door and window frames from this last fire can still be seen in the main lounge, or voorkamer. But the heart of d'Ouwe Werf remains pure Old Cape.

Now, as then, the location of d'Ouwe Werf is still the best in town and guests can safely walk around in Stellenbosch. With the advent of the Stellenbosch Watch - an organisation sponsored by the private sector - the town is again as safe as it was when the Inn first became famous.

The hotel is furnished with priceless antiques and there are several four-poster beds and magnificent brass and woodwork. During the day, you can read or chat in the soft light of the high-vaulted voorkamer, or take tea or a light meal in the coffee garden where white wrought-iron furniture, a water feature and shady vines overhead provide a restful ambience in summer.

The historic core of Stellenbosch has recently seen a great deal of urban renewal and is vibrant with many shops and bistros to tempt even the weariest traveller. The developments were all aimed at enhancing the "people's town" atmosphere that has made Stellenbosch the hub of the winelands. The town blends the old with the new into a seamless celebration of the best that the Cape has to offer: the full authentic Cape Winelands experience.

The Petousis family now own d’Ouwe Werf as well as its sister hotels – The Vineyard Hotel & Spa in Newlands, Cape Town and the Townhouse Hotel & Conference Centre in the centre of Cape Town.