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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.