Proclaimed as a National Monument in 1966. Leeuwenhof, the official residence of the Premier of the Cape Province, stands on the slope of Table Mountain. It is reached by an avenue of oaks that leads off Hof Street where the road makes a bend. Partly hidden by high pine and wild-fig trees, against a background of Table Mountain and commanding an incomparable view over Table Bay and the distant hills beyond, it is one of the finest old flat-roofed, double-storied Houses in Cape Town. Unfortunately it is generally not open to the Public!
During the nineteenth Century Leeuwenhof passed through the hands of six owners. Two owners of special interest were Christoffel Joseph Brand (1841-1848) and Petrus Johannes Kotzé (1843-1881). Christoffel Brand, father of Jan Brand, the President of the Orange Free State, led the busy life of an advocate and politician.
Petrus Kotzé bought a small portion of Leeuwenhof facing Hof Street in 1839 and built a House on it which he called; La Belle Alliance. Nine Years later he acquired the whole Farm, but he did not occupy the main house until 1854. He played an important part in public life. He twice served as Mayor of Cape Town and in 1859 he became a member of the Cape Parliament. His son, John Gilbert Kotzé, who later became a well-known judge in the South African Republic, spent his youth at Leeuwenhof and his memoirs give us a clear picture of the old estate. Petrus Kotzé restored Leeuwenhof to its former glory!
At the end of the nineteenth Century the expansion of Cape Town began to make irresistible demands on the old estate. Large portions were sold off, so that of the original 80 Hectares of 'the garden Leeuwenhof', barely two Hectares remain. Fortunately the main House has survived virtually unaltered in spite of the constant changes in ownership. In 1936 it was acquired by the Cape Provincial Administration, for the official residence of the Administrator and so the preservation of this Monument was ensured.
During the nineteenth Century Leeuwenhof passed through the hands of six owners. Two owners of special interest were Christoffel Joseph Brand (1841-1848) and Petrus Johannes Kotzé (1843-1881). Christoffel Brand, father of Jan Brand, the President of the Orange Free State, led the busy life of an advocate and politician.
Petrus Kotzé bought a small portion of Leeuwenhof facing Hof Street in 1839 and built a House on it which he called; La Belle Alliance. Nine Years later he acquired the whole Farm, but he did not occupy the main house until 1854. He played an important part in public life. He twice served as Mayor of Cape Town and in 1859 he became a member of the Cape Parliament. His son, John Gilbert Kotzé, who later became a well-known judge in the South African Republic, spent his youth at Leeuwenhof and his memoirs give us a clear picture of the old estate. Petrus Kotzé restored Leeuwenhof to its former glory!
At the end of the nineteenth Century the expansion of Cape Town began to make irresistible demands on the old estate. Large portions were sold off, so that of the original 80 Hectares of 'the garden Leeuwenhof', barely two Hectares remain. Fortunately the main House has survived virtually unaltered in spite of the constant changes in ownership. In 1936 it was acquired by the Cape Provincial Administration, for the official residence of the Administrator and so the preservation of this Monument was ensured.
Geolocation
-33° 55' 12", 18° 26' 9.6"
References
Further Reading