Welgelegen Manor is testament to the incredible life, ambition and dedication of one man – Andries Mostert. His is the story of a passionate commitment to keeping his family’s history alive – and to preserving the heritage of a bygone era.
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Andries Mostert was born in Paarl in 1868 – but due to bad health, was schooled in Beaufort West. As a teenager, he began his working career in Kimberley – working for his brother who owned a butcher shop. It was at this young age that his ambition was first born – to buy back the much loved Mostert Estates of Rondebosch, which his forefathers had owned.
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His grandfather had sadly gone bankrupt when the Pheloxera ravaged the vines – and was forced to sell off the land which included a beautiful house named Welgelegen. Andries’ great ideal was to see his family back in their family seat – so he set off for Barberton to mine gold and build a future.
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Discovering that the life of a miner was a difficult and low-paid one, he joined his brother at the Ferreiras Camp (Johannesburg) to build the railway line from Braamfontein to Elandsfontein. This resulted in him forming the A M Mostert Construction Company – which went on to build many famous landmarks, including the Church Plain Pretoria, a canal in Doornfontein and numerous reservoirs – while he also sub-contracted on the Union Buildings. Now earning real money, he saw that his ancestral home ‘Welgelegen’ was for sale – but unfortunately he was beaten to it by Cecil John Rhodes who decided to renovate the house ‘for the premiers of the future’ – using architect Sir Herbert Baker.
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Although he never realised his dream – fortune fell on Mostert in other ways. In 1911 when the Coronation Mine went bankrupt, Mostert – now reasonably well-off – bought the land between Balfour and Nigel – and called the farm Rietbult Estate. The first thing he built and developed was a grand orchard – and then in 1912 he asked Sir Herbert Baker to design a house for on the farm – and gave it the name of Welgelegen, after his ancestoral home. He was ‘home’. Andries went on to make a name for himself in many business arenas – from taking up directorship of The National Bank of South Africa to his involvement in the founding of Iscor. He died in 1939, his being a life well lived.
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Stay at Welgelegen
Welgelegen Manor has been magnificently restored to its former glory and offers the perfect getaway for a country house weekend. An inspired example of the Arts and Crafts movement, the beautiful teak doors, marble and granite floors, gleaming woodwork and brasswork are testament to the craftsmen of a bygone era.
A sense of peace and tranquillity greet you on arrival, echoing through the reception rooms to the more than spacious guest bedrooms, where every comfort is catered for. Beautifully decorated to enhance the style and elegance of the past, Welgelegen invites complete relaxation.