Grand Old Dame restored to former beauty
A national monument and the oldest building in Plettenberg Bay was given a new lease of life after being transformed into a luxury hotel, while great care was taken to preserve its history.
The Old Rectory, which dates back to 1777 and is situated on the corner of Bull and Meeding streets, will open to the public on August 15, after developers renovated the dilapidated site into an 18-room Cape vernacular-style hotel.
Having morphed a few times over the past 240 years – from school, to smithy, to finally a rectory – this unique building presented no small design challenge.
Gabriel Fagan architects, the original firm tasked with the restoration, chose as a reference point the earliest photo they could find, settling finally on a Cape Dutch silhouette. Celebrating this historical context, original features such as yellowwood floors, trusses and milkwood trees have been interwoven to create an experience befitting the grand old dame.
“With expert skill and optimum sensitivity during restoration, this important heritage site will be a flagship for the area. Choosing a team of architects who would optimise the new while respecting the old was critical,” said Plett Tourism spokesperson Patty Butterworth.
This is the latest boutique hotel offering from Rare Earth – a portfolio of luxury game lodges, country houses and boutique coastal hotels.
The project was sanctioned by Heritage Western Cape and carries the stamp of approval by all regulatory authorities as well as a thumbs up from the Van Plettenberg Historical Society.
Developers said that from the outset they wanted to ensure that the building was restored to the way it was in the 1700s, especially with the property’s historical significance.
OLDEST IN TOWN
Not only is it the oldest surviving building in Plett, but it is believed to be one of the first properties in South Africa financed by the Dutch East India Company.
Author Patricia Storrar in her book Portrait of Plettenberg Bay, wrote that the building definitely dates back to the 1770s when it was shown on a 1777 map that referred to it as “verblyf voor het volk” – meaning “residence for the people”.
After extensive research, Storrar also found that in 1789 evidence had been found that the building had also been used as a barracks when a plan drawn by JC Frederici referred to it as “militaaren logies” (military lodgings). It was not surprising at the time as the Dutch East India Company was on guard against attempted occupation by hostiles.
The building was thereafter known as the barracks well into the 19th century.
The name Old Rectory however remained after 1869 when bishop Robert Gray bought the property for the successive clergymen of his parish. It remained a rectory for 70 years until a new rectory was constructed closer to St Peter’s Church in 1939.
Since then the property has been home to a school, even a blacksmith and several other private owners.
Because the property has seen many owners over the years, it has also undergone several changes. Some of the most significant changes took place in 1887 when the original thatch roof was replaced with an iron one and when the courtyard was built up.
Over the past few years the time, elements and the lack of maintenance had taken its toll on the building, leaving it dilapidated with only a few walls remaining before restoration started in June 2015.
During the renovations developers called in the experts, including one of the country’s top historical architects, Gabriel Fagan architects, archaeologists, tree surgeons and other specialist contractors.
During the first phase of the restoration process the team, while breaking down the old toilet block, discovered that the property had been inhabited long before the 18th century when they found a midden with burnt shells and fish bones estimated to be older than 2 000 years.
Under the guidance of archaeologists and heritage consultants, this had been preserved.
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Source: Knysna Plett Herald News