Kronendal Estate

Driving into Hout Bay from Constantia Nek you will pass the gabled  Kronendal manor house. This building is steeped in history, it even has its own ghost. It was the first farmstead in Hout Bay. It was built in 1670 in typical Cape Dutch style.

. The patch of land where the house currently stands was granted to Willem Basson in 1713. A small structure was built, and it remained a grassy plot for the rest of the century.

The homestead is one of the oldest surviving examples of a Cape Dutch H-plan house in the Cape Peninsula. The back of the building was the first to be completed in 1713 when Basson owned the plot. In 1800, Kronendal was extended by Johannes Guilliam Van Helsdingen. This date is recorded on the front gable.

Kronendal was declared a National Monument on 9 September 1960 and has been used for various purposes since. The farm was commercially active until the 1990s, making it the oldest working farm in the country when it ceased operations.

The estate has had a makeover and is now known as The Homestead of Perpetuity

There is a bar along the length of the main hall. The Vinyl room is where records are played and where there is seating for groups and singles. Further down the hall, there is the Boat Room with a fireplace, which is ideal for small meetings, then there is the courtyard itself, outside under the tree. There is lots of seating in a peaceful setting. Here you can order a light meal or just enjoy a coffee. Various evening events are organized from time to time,

You will also find a resident barber, board shaper, custom bike builder, and the local Crossfit Gym on site.

In respect of Elsa*, who is said to still roam, seeking her lover, there is a small table set for two at the entrance to the house, “Reserved for Elsa”

140 Main Road, Hout Bay
africa@deuscustoms.com

Ghost of Kronendal *

Kronendal has an interesting history. Between 1835 and 1849, the estate was owned by Sir Abraham  Josias Cloete.  Elsa Cloete, his daughter, and a British soldier fell in love, but Elsa’s father wouldn’t tolerate the relationship. The young soldier hung himself from a tree, and the young girl died of a broken heart.

According to reports from some staff and visitors at the site,  Elsa may have died but she is still there. Pots have been seen flying off wall hooks and lights go dim without any explanation. Diners there also reported seeing a spectral female figure at one of the manor windows. The young soldier’s spirit also lives here as guests also reported sightings of a man lurking around between oak trees in the garden. The specter of Elsa has been seen on moonlit nights, staring across the street at the oak trees, as if waiting for her lover. She has also been sighted wearing an old-fashioned blue dress in various rooms of the building.

Since the 1970s there have been at least five documented sightings of Elsa’s ghost, as reported by local newspapers and magazines.

”