A derelict Karoo home from the 1800s brought back to life
A creative couple took all of 12 years to sensitively bring a derelict Nieu-Bethesda home from the 1800s back to life, while retaining its Karoo character.
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By Marian van Wyk • Photographs Greg Cox
When Elche Robinson throws open her beautiful old front door on a quiet dirt road in NieuBethesda, it’s clear why the original owner named the house ‘Paradijs’ (paradise) back in 1876. You can see all the way through from the front door to the lovely veranda and into the vast garden with its damson plum orchard and the striking Karoo landscape beyond.
However, when the Robinsons bought the property in 2005, ‘paradise’ was the last word that would have come to mind.
“The ‘Paradijs 1876’ inscription above the front door was the only bit of the house that was still intact,” Elche recalls.
Derelict and vandalised, it had been stripped of its beautiful wooden floors, yellowwood ceilings, most windows and even some of the roof sheeting. The lovely garden views were obstructed by an enormous chicken shed built from mud and brick.
At the time, Elche and her husband John (he passed away in June 2017) were visiting Nieu-Bethesda with their daughter Simone; they lived in White River in Mpumalanga, where they managed a private game lodge. Having already lost their hearts to the charming Eastern Cape Karoo village, where time appears to stand still and stars shine incandescent in the absence of streetlamps, they put in an offer on what resembled a ruin.
“Undaunted by the challenge, John and I decided that if this house was named Paradijs there must be something to it...” Adamant that they wanted to restore the original features, the couple started collecting second-hand sash windows, wooden doors, antique door handles and light fittings.
The exterior walls, which were built from mud bricks, had to be replastered. The original plaster was removed, and chicken mesh was attached inside and out to reinforce the walls before the replastering was done. This made them even thicker, which helps to keep the house cool on those scorching Karoo summer days. The couple also had to contend with the remnants of a large interior water tank... >>
I wanted the house to be very comfortable with an abundance of light, while also retaining its original character. – Elche