The story of Vergelegen: the farm once far away

For modern-day travellers, the verdant grounds of Vergelegen estate lie just an easy drive from the heart of Cape Town. Zip along the N2, take a left through the leafy suburbs of Somerset West, and you’ll soon find yourself cruising between trellised vines, manicured gardens and ancient woodland.

But, wind back the clock three hundred years, and the hills beneath these Hottentots Holland Mountains were wild. This was still a land ver gelegen — “far away” — from the relative order of the fledgling colony, untamed by the eager plough of the burghers settling at the Cape.

But Willem Adriaan van der Stel, then the governor of the Cape Colony, was nothing if not a man of vision. Where others saw wilderness, he saw opportunity. On the first day of February 1700, Van der Stel was granted 400 morgen (340ha) of land in the fertile valley on the banks of the modern-day Lourensford River.

With remarkable energy, and considerable investment, van der Stel set about turning his vision into reality, planting fruit orchards and wheat fields, and clearing grazing land for large herds of sheep and cattle. He planted 500 000 grape vines, which thrived in the moderate climate and cooling breezes blowing in from False Bay. Within a few years, Vergelegen was home to one-quarter of all the vines in the Cape Colony and it was said, perhaps whispered, van der Stel’s Vergelegen outshone even the more famous Groot Constantia, the estate founded by his father Simon van der Stel.

Timber was essential for the burgeoning colony, and forests of oak and camphor trees were planted, too. Remarkably, five of those original camphor trees still stand today; their broad trunks and hefty boughs were declared National Monuments in 1942.

The camphors cast their shadows on the great lawn stretching away from the manor house. For van der Stel soon added a three-story manor to his farm, inspired by the formality and grandeur of Europe’s historic estates. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance Baroque style, and was partially enclosed by an octagonal double-wall, just high enough — so the stories say — to thwart the leap of the lions still common in the area.

But van der Stel’s ambition — and imperious style of governance — didn’t endear him to the local landowners, the free burghers competing with the governor in selling produce to the Dutch East India Company. They complained to his superiors in Holland, and, in 1706, van der Stel was sent back to the Netherlands in disgrace. His success in turning vision into reality had become a pyrrhic victory.

Van der Stel’s departure led to a period of decline for Vergelegen, as the estate passed through a series of owners, none with the means — or perhaps vision — to maintain or expand this once-pioneering property. Perhaps most notable was the Theunissen family, who acquired the farm in 1798 and kept it for more than a century.

Vergelegen’s modern-day renaissance came with the arrival of Lionel and Florence Phillips in 1917. Lionel Phillips was a successful Randlord, and with deep pockets to draw on Florence Phillips quickly set about revitalising Vergelegen.

She spent five years restoring and sensitively expanding the original manor house, working together with renowned architect Percy Walgate, while creating a serene library in what was once the Theunissen family’s wine cellar. For Florence Phillips had more of a taste for flora than fine wine, and under her watch the vineyards faded as quickly as the formal gardens flourished and expanded.

By the time the Barlow family bought the property in 1941, after the Phillips’ death, the property had grown to 3,000ha and was again a model of fruit orchards, timber plantations, and pastures tramped by well-fed livestock.

And yet, still no grape vines.

That would all change in 1987, when the farm was purchased by Anglo American Farms, a subsidiary of modern-day Anglo American. It was a pioneering spirit that had laid the foundation for Vergelegen, and the new owners arrived with a bold vision for the farm.

Alien vegetation was cleared, degraded lands rehabilitated, conservation projects drawn up, and a master plan for a new generation of vineyards created. Soil profiles were analysed, the farm’s terroir examined and — after an absence of nearly a century — vineyards replanted. Over the course of three centuries, Vergelegen had come full circle, and acclaimed cellar master Andre van Rensburg has cemented the farm’s reputation as one of SA leading premium wine producers.

For an estate that played such a pivotal role in the colonial history of the Cape, it was only fitting that Vergelegen also had its part in shaping the modern history of South Africa. After the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1990, the first meeting of the ANC caucus took place in the quiet seclusion of Vergelegen. Former president Nelson Mandela was particularly taken with Vergelegen, and since the dawn of democratic South Africa, the estate has played host to a roll call of global politicians, celebrities, and royalty.

And the estate continues to write new chapters in its long history. Plans are afoot for a bold new arboretum; conservation work is ongoing; and new layers of Vergelegen’s past are constantly being uncovered through ongoing archaeological research.

It’s fine tribute to the estate’s simple motto: Ex Africa semper aliquid novi. Out of Africa always something new.

This article was paid for by Vergelegen.