The Homestead

Greenways is a late Cape Revival style house designed by Norman Lubynski completed in 1928. There are no records of the original plans held by the CCT but there are plans of later alterations and additions. Lubynski’s office was still involved in minor alteration work on the house in 1951 but a number of other architects undertook work on the house.

The Cape Revival style grew out Sir Herbert Baker’s work for Rhodes and the enthusiasm of the so-called Loyalists led by Dorothea Fairbridge in the post Anglo-Boer War period. It became almost the official architectural style in South Africa until the 1950’s. Historian Peter Merrington has pointed out that a wide range of buildings including banks, railway stations, post offices and even electricity sub-stations were given Cape features like gables.

The house, like a number of others from the 1920s, was modeled on Baker’s famous Muizenberg house for Sir Abe Bailey: Rust en Vrede. Lubynski who developed a large practice and designed a great number of factories, office blocks and dwellings generally in the fashionable “International Style” had worked in the office of Kendall so although Greenways is not typical of Lubynski’s work it is nevertheless very accomplished architecturally. The owner, Dr Max Ashton was a leading Cape Town dentist and no expense was spared on the house with oak paneling and interior joinery, teak window frames and doors.

The property was sold to the current owners in 1981 following the death of Dr Ashton and consequently converted in an upmarket guest house for long staying overseas guests and opened its doors in 2002 after a complete restoration, new bathrooms with under floor heating, air condition in all the rooms, new kitchen, bar and restaurant, etc. as a 5-star graded hotel.

Before the arrival of the settlers the slopes of Wynberg Hill were thickly forested giving the farm granted here in the 17th century to Commander Jan van Riebeeck its name Boschheuwel. Giant Afro-montane species like yellowwood, stinkwood and hard pear clad the northwest slopes and these were rapidly exploited by the Vereenigde Oos-Indiesche Compagnie (VOC). Skeleton Gorge at Kirstenbosch gives one an idea of the dense nature of these forests.

The south facing slopes were covered with silver trees giving rise to the name Witteboomen to the grant in the Constantia Valley. The top of Wynberg Hill was crowned with massive granite boulders that came to be known as the Hen and Chickens. A military signal gun was positioned here, part of a warning system set up by the VOC in 1793. At that time the position had line-of-sight contact with Constantia Neck, Muizenberg and the signal post at Welgelegen. Flags could be used during the day but at night it was by means of fire beacons and oil lamps suspended from a mast.

Today tall exotic trees, principally gums and pines, hide the Hen and Chickens. The map of 1934 (Figure 3) indicates that at that time pines and oaks had replaced indigenous forest species. It was the VOC practice to replace indigenous trees once they had been cleared with oaks and other trees like stone pines and it is probable that the trees shown or at least their ancestors were planted in the 18th century. The gums were probably planted by the Wynberg municipality.

The slopes of Wynberg Hill had by the end of the 19th century already been partly developed. The subdivision of Fernwood at the beginning of the 20th century followed by Bishop’s Court and Paradise in the 1920s created the momentum for it to become an exclusive residential area for the business and political elite of Cape Town. Most properties were over an acre (±4000m²) in extent with many even larger.

In 1920 prominent Cape Town property developer and builder Mr Isadore Cohen developed the Hen and Chickens Estate stretching from the summit of Wynberg Hill across the northeast slopes. Like the subdivision of the adjacent Bishop’s Court Estate the erven were again at least 4000m² in extent with some even larger. Cohen’s own Arts and Crafts mansion Woodlands Heights (now the International School of Cape Town) was set in immense grounds of over 4ha. Greenways Hotel Erf 54621 is in fact a consolidation of three erven (1961) to create the setting for the Greenways Manor House.