Foresters Arms “Forries”
Established in 1852 and nestled at the foot of our majestic mountains, in the leafy suburb of Newlands, Cape Town, Foresters Arms Restaurant and Pub (fondly referred to by the locals as Forries), is one of the oldest pubs in South Africa. Its welcoming ambiance provides guests with the opportunity to sit down, relax, and enjoy a fine draught beer accompanied by a delicious meal selected from our varied gastro-pub menu.
A story of Forries courtesy of Saartjie Klipkop
A gentleman by the name of James Maynard owned a section of land called Papenboom, which was situated in what we currently know as Newlands.
Mr Maynard was in dire financial straits and to repay his debts, he sectioned off his land into 200 lots and raffled them off at £25.10 sterling per lot. A Mr David Williams bought large portions of these tickets and ‘won’ considerable amounts of land including ‘The Cottage’, which became known as the Foresters Arms.
David Williams was a philanthropic man who believed that his men should be rewarded with comfortable conditions and a place to relax after a long and hard day’s work. The Cottage’, or Foresters Arms as it had become known, was used in the early days, as a local office for him and his foremen and also as a place of recreation and rest for his workers.
On 28th September 1881, the plots of land containing Foresters Arms were sold to Simon Londt. He converted the rooms used as offices into rooms and opened Forries as an Inn. It was one of the first Tavern/Inns open to the public. The early patrons of Foresters Arms Inn were travelers making their way from Cape Town to Simonstown in their horse-drawn carts.
Between the years 1840 and 1884, four breweries were established in the Papenboom (Newlands) area. The first brewery, established in 1840, was established by Jacob Letterstedt and was the Mariendahl Brewery, and connected to the Josephine Mill, which used the Newlands Spring water to make its beer.
The second brewery, established in 1866, was the Cloete’s Brewery, also known as the Newlands Brewery, and was registered to Daniel Cloete. Daniel Cloete was the grandson of David Williams and used a portion of his inheritance from his father, to start his brewery. This brewery was situated directly opposite the Foresters Arms as we know it today.
The third brewery was Cannon Breweries, started in 1874, by Dr Jonas Michael Hiddingh. He also bought various public houses and canteens to ensure the success of his beer to counter competition from his opposition.
The fourth brewery was the introduction of the Anders Ohlsson brewery business, considered to be the father of modern-day brewing in South Africa. Anders Ohlsson bought the Anneberg Mill from David Ireland and converted the Mill into the Anneberg Brewery.
52 Newlands Avenue, Cape Town, South Africa
