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| Cape town property |
For centuries scholars have regarded the discovery of the Cape by Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1488 and the succeeding arrival and settlement of Jan van Riebeeck and other Dutch East India Company employees in 1652 as the birth of South African history. And while their discovery may have been considered a pinnacle point in history, it also signifies a monumental point in South African architectural history – the birth of Cape Dutch style.
Despite its distinct French and Indonesian influences, the Cape Dutch architectural styles originated in medieval Germany and Holland, in a time when the Dutch continued their relentless discoveries of new routes and lands. When the Dutch arrived in the Cape aboard VOC ships and settled along the Southern Africa coast it was only a matter of time before ornately gabled homes were erected across the vast expanses of newly discovered land.
As the agricultural trade in the Cape prospered and its inhabitants became more affluent, the previously simple homesteads expanded, with the homes becoming larger and the floor plans more elaborate. Although the houses maintained their classic white washed clay walls and fragrant thatched roofs, features became more decorative, with ornate front gables making their first appearance and small window panes flanked by hard wood shutters.
While this particular architectural style is prevalent along the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek wine routes, there are also a number of other areas in the Western Cape which boast the graceful features and charm of Cape Dutch style architecture. Being one of the oldest residential districts in Cape Town, the Southern Suburbs is unsurprisingly home to some of the most exquisite properties boasting the refined European influences of the Dutch.
The northern parts of the Southern Suburbs are dotted with cosy Cape Dutch style cottages clad with shuttered windows, slender corners and thatched roofs, while the more extravagant estates boasting delicately carved gables, high ceilings and vine covered beams nestle in the shadows of giant oak trees in the tree lined suburbs of Constantia and Bishopscourt. This vernacular architecture is also prevalent in Newlands and parts of Wynberg.
Upton Properties is a real estate agency specialising predominantly in Newlands property and Claremont property for sale, as well as innovative new property developments in the Southern Suburbs and other parts of the Western Cape. Contact Upton Properties today to find out more about their comprehensive portfolio of property in Cape Town.
Source: Cape Town Property
