Coornhoop (also Koornhoop, Corenhoop, Coorenhoop) is a historic 17th century farmhouse.[1] It is located at 2 Dixton Road in Observatory, Cape Town. Currently, it houses the Centre for Conflict Resolution.
History
In 1657 and 1658, Jan van Riebeeck gave land to 14 Vryburgers on the western bank of the Liesbeek river to farm with wheat.[2] To protect their harvest from raids by the Khoikhoi, a row of small forts and sheds were built along the river. In the event of an attack, the women and children of the neighbouring allotments were to take shelter in them. In September 1657 the sheds at Coornhoop were completed.[3][4] After 4 years, the buildings at Coornhoop fell into disuse. A series of owners then subdivided the ground and sometimes consolidated sections, and converted the sheds to residences. [5] It has evolved into one of Cape Peninsula's most beautiful developments. In the 19th and 20th centuries the buildings deteriorated and were demolished.[6]
In 1961, the Simon van der Stel Foundation[a] bought the buildings and restored them in 1964.[6] The gable ends of the remaining shells are of the concave/convex type and date from 1797.
Dovecote
Behind two rows of three arches connecting two of the original sheds, stands a unique double-storey dovecote. The facade is a feature of the Cape architecture. In 1966 this dovecote was declared a monument. In the William Fehr Collection there is a sketch from 1896 by A.F. Truter of the dovecote.[7]
Western Province Agricultural Union
On May 24, 1971, the agricultural union made an information board for the building listing the names of the first 14 free burghers located at Coornhoop, De Hollantse Thuijn and Groenevelt.[8]
Anon (1971). Coornhoop, 24-5-1971: Free Burgher - Commemoration Day. Simon Van Der Stel Foundation.
Athiros, Gabriel; Athiros, Louise (2007). Woodstock: a selection of articles from The Woodstock Whisperer, 2003 - 2007. Historical Media. ISBN 978-0-620-39924-1.
Cook, Mary Alexander (2004). A Guide to the Old Buildings of the Cape: A Survey of Extant Architecture from Before C1910 in the Area of Cape Town-Calvinia-Colesberg-Uitenhage. Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86842-191-6.
Oberholster, J. J. (1972). The historical monuments of South Africa. National Monuments Council. ISBN 978-0-620-00192-2 – via Rembrandt Van Rijn Foundation for Culture.
Pama, C. (1979). Wagon Road to Wynberg. Tafelberg. ISBN 978-0-624-01001-2.
Simons, Phillida Brooke (1987). Cape Dutch houses: a concise guide. C. Struik. ISBN 978-0-86977-427-4.
Sleigh, Dan (1996). The forts of the Liesbeeck frontier. Castle Military Museum. ISBN 9780620207751.
