Cape heritage homes and prices

Cape heritage homes and prices

Category News

High demand for the Cape’s heritage neighbourhoods and properties 

With heritage day upon us, the Seeff Property Group highlights the Cape’s fabulous wealth of heritage neighbourhoods and architectural styles, from Cape Dutch, Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian and Art Deco to the beautiful Fisherman’s houses of the West and Southern Cape coast and sandstone and farmhouse architecture of the Karoo. 

Heritage buildings such as the Castle, SA Museum in the Company’s Garden, Slave Lodge, St George’s Cathedral and the Groote Kerk and Bo Kaap Museum are popular tourist attractions. Architects such as Sir Herbert Baker (1862-1946) also left behind a treasure of buildings such as the Union Buildings (Pretoria) and Groote Schuur and Wynberg Boys’ High (Cape Town). Louis Michel Thibault (1750-1815) left landmarks such as Koopmans de-Wet House, the Groot Constantia homestead and wine cellar and Drostdy buildings in Graaff-Reinet and Tulbagh. 

Today, you can also find designed areas which are heritage protected, says Seeff. These include the Bo-Kaap which dates to the late 1700s and boasts a mix of Cape Dutch and Georgian architecture and Chelsea Village in Wynberg, dating to the 1700s. 

While most of the historic buildings and the beautiful Cape Dutch wine farms of the Winelands/Boland area are beyond the reach of most buyers and investors, there are many opportunities to buy and invest according to Seeff’s agents. These are sought for a variety of reasons, from residential to businesses, boutiques and restaurants and guest houses. A few areas where you can invest in historic/heritage property include: 

Constantia
As one of the oldest neighbourhoods and in particular due to the establishment of the various historic farms in the area, Constantia boasts a number of Cape Dutch residences, especially on farms such as Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting and Steenberg along with other landmarks such as the Alphen and Cellars Hohenhort. Residential Cape Dutch homes though rarely come onto the market and you can expect to pay around R18m-R60m. 

City Bowl
Here you will find a mix of Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian and Art Deco.  Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht and Higgovale offer Victorian semi’s, priced around R6m and houses, priced from around R9m according to Doris Ricketts, Michele Apperley and Colette Jackson, Seeff’s full title team for the area. In Oranjezicht and Higgovale, you can also find the odd Sir Herbert Baker. A rare 1925 manor house of 1200sqm, built from Table Mountain sandstone, with six bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a swimming pool and rare 1800sqm plot, is priced at R29.75m. 

Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl
The Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl areas are home to a wealth of Cape Cottage and Cape Dutch architecture. Stellenbosch’s Dorp and Church Streets offers a number of heritage buildings as well as on the historic wine estates such Blaauwklippen (1682), Murati (1685), Lanzerac, Spier (both 1692), Meerlust (1693), Rust en Vrede (1694) and Neethlingshof (1699), says Lita Hartman, Seeff’s marketing representative for the area. 

In the town, you can find beautiful old homes with original woodwork on the floors, doors, windows and even ceilings and some event still with the old hearth in the kitchen or original fireplaces. Prices range from around R8m-R28m. 

Paarl Central has several Cape Dutch homes, but due to the building and land sizes, these are priced from around R15m-R35m according to Clive Hartman, Seeff agent. These properties tend to be converted to corporate offices and retail centres. 

Tulbagh/Wellington/Worcester
Tulbagh, which dates to around 1714, is another town with a rich heritage of Cape Dutch architecture. This includes Church Street, declared a monument in its entirety and home to 32 historic buildings, says Nelia Retief, of Seeff Tulbagh and surrounds. Other famous landmarks include The Old Drostdy (1804, designed by Thibault) and Twee Jonge Gezellen (circa 1720). Prices range from R2m-R4m for historic homes in Church Street. 

Marilize de Beer, an agent with Seeff Wellington says that the town offers excellent examples of Cape Dutch and Victorian architecture. Prices are still in the affordable range of R2.8m-R3m with the 1921 Klipvleifontein farmhouse with many original features including wood work and the old farm dam, priced at just R3.45 million. 

Worcester, which dates to 1820, offers mainly Cape Dutch properties according to Pieter Van Zyl, an agent with Seeff. Historic properties are popular with buyers relocating to Cape, foreign investors and also with farmers who buy these as investments. Due to the heritage value and unique character, prices carry a premium of around 20%-30%. Although prices differ, you can expect to pay around R3.2m-R3.5m. 

Swellendam (Overberg)
Dating to 1743, Swellendam offers fine examples of Cape Dutch and Victorian architecture, says Val Anderton from Seeff Swellendam. As a popular stop-over on the N2 to the Overberg and Garden Route and a busy commercial centre, Swellendam is a great town to live in or own a second home or a B&B. Prices range from R1.5m-R3.5m with only about a 10% premium paid for a top class find. 

Ladismith/Oudtshoorn (Klein Karoo)
Imelda Egan from Seeff says the Klein Karoo town of Ladismith is home to a few fine examples of Victorian architecture which are popular for B&Bs and guest houses given their generous sizes. Prices are around R2.5m for a large eight-bedroomed property with well-preserved features. 

Oudtshoorn, the main town of the Klein Karoo, is renowned for its role in the global ostrich boom of the 1800s and still known as the "ostrich capital of the world". During the boom, many grand manor houses were built, predominantly from sandstone which are still in high demand along with Victorian styles. Prices range around R2m-R3m according to Bettie Nel, an agent with Seeff. 

Legislation and regulation
The National Heritage Resources Act, 25 of 1999 regulates all structures over 60 years old including the fixtures and fittings. A tier system classifies property according to its national, provincial or local importance. Tier One is a Heritage Overlay Zone, generally applied to entire areas with all properties in the area protected. Tier Two applies to individual properties and buildings and Tier Three, to buildings officially classified as National Monuments or Provincial Heritage Sites.

All interior and exterior work, including paint on these structures must be approved by the local heritage committee, and if none in that town, the provincial body should be consulted. Municipal approval cannot be given if Heritage has not approved it, says Stefaan Verlinde, Seeff licensee for Oudtshoorn. Towns such as Oudtshoorn has a Heritage committee which does excellent work, he says.

Visit www.seeff.com for more information.

Author: Seeff