OUR STORY HISTORY LOCATION LAYOUT & MAP

A short 75-minute drive from Cape Town, Penhill Farm, Toontjiesrivier, is one of the Cape’s most beautifully situated, original Cape Dutch Farms.

Its traditional white-washed, thatched-roofed buildings are nestled at the foot of the majestic Langeberg (South Africa’s longest mountain range) on 700 hectares of private property. From here, there are quite exceptional views across the Breede Valley to the Franschhoek mountains beyond.

Toontjiesrivier is a historic farmstead in the Nuy Valley, with origins dating back to around 1840.

The farm, the name of which has changed many times, has a unique history going back 300 years. At one stage it was the furthest outpost in the Cape of the Dutch East Indies Company and later became a vital staging post and replenishment station on the main wagon route to Stellenbosch, Swellendam, and Graaff-Reinet, predating the N1 highway.

At one point, it formed part of the larger Vergelegen estate; an agricultural hub founded by Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan van der Stel. Its original homestead was the birthplace of one of the Presidents of the early Boer Republics. The farm buildings are a most beautiful example of traditional and unspoiled Cape Dutch architecture.

The farm features a late-Cape Dutch style thatched house with a distinctive four-pilaster Worcester-type gable with concave wings, a seven-bay façade, and a T-shaped layout, unlike many other Breede River houses of the same period. 

The house has been carefully restored, including its original slave quarters, and is now a guest house. 

The original and fully restored old homestead (now known as Pepper Tree Cottage) dates from 1750, while the later (1840’s) Manor House is one of the Cape’s architectural masterpieces. These buildings, together with The Cellars, the Old Fruit Barn and the various outbuildings, today provide accommodation of an exceptional standard to discerning visitors. The original stables have also been fully restored and now serve as the Laundry for the estate.

Pepper Tree Cottage

1750

The Clopper (Kloppers) Family

Johannes Clopper became the successor in title to his father’s grazing farm and in October 1750 Johannes decided to divide the original farm into two parts: the lower part of ‘Onder-het-Cloppersbosch’ and the upper part of ‘Boven-het-Cloppersbosch’. He then sold the lower portion. went to settle on Boven-het-Cloppersbosch, which extent comprised of the farms: Kloppersbosch, Toontjiesrivier, Tooiingslaagte and Komplotkoppen. At this time, he erected the original cottage in the kloof of the Toontjiesrivier (that we now know as Pepper Tree Cottage.)

1887

The Naudé Family

In the 1870’s, Jacobus Stefanus Kloppers sold Toontjiesrivier to his brother-in-law Jacob Stefanus Naudé of Kloppersbosch and the Naudé family moved to Toontjiesrivier, as the farm had water at that time and a proper manor house, something that Kloppersbosch did not have. The name “Kloppersbosch” reflects the Dutch term for Klope’s bush, indicating typical Cape Dutch naming conventions and forested land characteristics.

1917

The Hugo Family

Gabriёl Francois Hugo was born at Kleinstraat, Hexrivierberg, between De Doorns and Touws River, on 8 August 1868 and in 1894 he married Petronella Aletta Conradie of Klaasvoogds, Robertson. Having worked as a share-cropper for Jacob Naudé Junior, when Toontjiesrivier came up for sale, he purchased the farm in 1917. This was despite the fact that some years before in 1909, whilst working on the farm, Gabriёl’s little twin two year old daughter, Magritha, had been tragically killed when she was struck by a wagon passing in front of the Manor House. The Naudés were part of the early settler class in the Cape and likely Huguenot-descended fitting with regional migrations from Europe after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 . Genealogical records trace the Hugo lineage in the Cape back to the early 1700s: Daniel Hugo (b. 1724), linked to families like Joubert via marriage, and Pieter Hugo (b. ≤15 May 1729), who farmed in Paarl and Hexrivier, progressing into later generations that settled around De Doorns. These lines reflect the broader migration of Huguenot families (Hugo, Joubert, Retief, Theron) into the Cape, often establishing agricultural settlements

1980

The Schmölke Family

In the 1980’s André and Sandy Schmölke bought Toontjiesrivier. In the 1990’s, the 240 year old homestead, was literally falling apart, having been uninhabited for a number of years. Due to a realisation of how historical the house was, André Schmölke decided to restore the cottage to its former glory: the walls were strengthened and carefully restored, the roof was re-thatched, wooden beams were replaced, and the old slave quarters were expanded and incorporated into the house.

2012

The Penny Family

In 2012 Gareth and Kate Penny (neé Halsted) with their two children, Ella and Benjy, bought the farm and renamed it (for a fourth time) Penhill Manor, Toontjiesrivier, after the Penny family estate in Rondebosch, Cape Town. Together with a well-known Stellenbosch architect, Rick Stander, and Worcester Master Builder, Frans Groeneweg, the Penny’s have set about painstakingly restoring and extending the farm to achieve its full potential.

2021

The Dhaene Family

Penhill has recently been purchased by Elo Dhaene from the Netherlands. He plans on furthering the legacy of Penhill with the introduction of an on-site restaurant, wine and new accommodations on the property. Penhill will serve as a home-away-from-home for the Dhaene family during the Summer months.

The Clopper-Naudé-Hugo succession illustrates a common pattern in Cape pastoral landholding; family inheritance, marriages, and sales structure ownership and land use.

The Hugo family’s lineage is tied to prominent early Cape settlers and Huguenot genealogy, suggesting broader European connections and influence in developing winelands agriculture .

Water access on the farm influenced these ownership decisions; both Clopper and Naudé valued the Toontjiesrivier, and it likely attracted Hugo during purchase.

A key element of the vision of Penhill Farm is the focus on conservation, biodiversity, and sustainability.

Penhill seeks to operate in a way that maximizes its contribution to the environment and society in the area. From the fountain water that feeds the house and gardens to the main emphasis on indigenous planting and waste management. While the farm promotes conservation and sustainability now, its early history under VOC likely involved indigenous labour and farming practices with little environmental oversight .

The restoration of the slave quarters acknowledges (though subtly) the role of enslaved people in 18th–19th-century Cape Dutch agriculture.

The activities Penhill Manor Estate provides are many and varied. For those who want peace and quiet, there are wonderful gardens and tranquil areas surrounded by nature in which to relax. There are also numerous walks through spectacular scenery, home to some 18,000 plant species. Mountain biking, bird-watching, swimming, boulle, tennis and croquet are just some of the many things to do. In the vicinity are golf courses, some 30 wine tasting farms, hot springs, scenic boat rides down the Breede River and many other things to do.

OUR STORY HISTORY LOCATION LAYOUT & MAP

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