|
It's a different world in the Tsitsikamma -
where
cascading streams and unspoilt indigenous forest walks are followed by
quiet nights and a sky full of stars.
FACILITIES
Cafe
Bacchus
In the relaxed atmosphere of the Inn we have created a
Victorian Tea Garden, Café Bacchus, where visitors can enjoy food
and drinks at a leisurely pace. Here people can escape from the
rat race, stress and mechanical mindedness of our times.
De
Oude Martha Restaurant
Today the Inn still remains loyal to
the legacy Martha Makwela left and continues in the tradition of
good, home cooked food.
Hunter's
Inn Pub
When entering the bar you will find that it is the
preferred watering hole for most locals in the Tsitsikamma area.
The warmth of an antique fireplace is only matched by the equally
warm smile of the Head Barman, John Matroos that will make you
feel at home almost immediately.
Tzitzikamma
Conference Centre
Imagine a conference breakaway where old
traditions of warmth and hospitality thrive side-by side with all
the wonders of modern technology. Our conference centre has all
that and state of the art equipment.
ABOUT
US
Protea Hotel
Tsitsikamma Village Inn - A Place of Legends, Intrigue and
Kings
George Rex and the Throne of
England
On BBC channel 4 (Saturday, July 5, 1997) a
controversial documentary brought evidence to light that has haunted
the British monarchy for more than 200 years. Legend has it that the
forgotten illegitimate son of George III, George Rex should have
become king rather than George IV on the death of his father in
1820.
So who was this man, George Rex? Rumour has it that George
III as the Prince of Wales secretly married a quacker girl, Hannah
Lightfoot. Many historians have long accepted that George III was
madly in love with Hannah.
The maverick filmmaker Kenneth
Griffith discovered previously impounded documents that make a
compelling case that the two were actually married twice, first at
Kew Chapel and then at their secret love nest in London. In 1866 a
series of documents was produced in court at Chancery Court in
London, which many believe are genuine marriage certificates of
Hannah Lightfoot and the Prince of Wales.
One of the
controversial documents read: “May, 27, 1759. This is to certify
that the marriage of these parties, George, Prince of Wales, and
Hannah Lightfoot was duly solemnised this day, according to the
rites and ceremonies of the Church of England,”
According to a
renowned handwriting expert of the time, the documents and
signatures were genuine.
The eldest of 3 princes born from this
marriage was George Rex. The young George Rex was given a Royal
Warrant and sailed to Cape Town in 1797. In Cape Town he met a
beloved coloured slave, whom he subsequently freed.
Legend has it
that George Rex was sent to the colony to save the monarchy of a
scandal. George Rex was adamant all his children were illegitimate.
This substantiates the theory that the last words of George III to
his son were: “You must never marry. There must be no legitimate
heirs”. George Rex was buried in Knysna where his grave can still be
visited today. However nobody suggests that the present monarchy
needs to relinquish the throne. Although the church approved it, it
does not mean that the British Monarchy approved it. A Buckingham
Palace spokesman said: “We are not commenting on the film, and we
are not getting involved in it.”
The Hunting Lodge
George Rex also had a
relationship with a second woman, Caroline, whom he never married.
This union produced nine children. A daughter, also named Caroline,
married Thomas Henry Duthie, a Lieutenant of the 72nd Highlanders.
The Duthies settled at Belvedere along the Knysna
Lagoon.
Duthie, always the military man had a passion for
hunting. In 1841, he built a shooting box in the Tsitsikamma. This
location was specifically chosen due to the prolific population of
wild pigs in the area. To this day it is still possible to encounter
one of these ill-tempered beasts in the forest.
In 1850 the
frontier wars were being fought in the Grahamstown area. This meant
that communication had to be established with the Cape colony.
Wagons had to cross the monstrous Storms River gorge in order to
establish a connection. This involved a laborious process in which
wagoners had to lock the back wheels of their wagon and then slide
them down to the drift at the bottom of the gorge. After descending
300 meters the team of oxen had to pull the wagon right back up
again on the other side. At the end of the climb the Duthie’s
shooting box became the traveller’s preferred place to rest. A
foundation for the tradition of old-fashioned hospitality was
established.
Tsitsikamma Forest Inn
The Mangold family
established themselves at Storms River Mouth. The Mangold’s started
a sawmill on the bluff overlooking Storms River Mouth. This sawmill
produced railway sleepers from indigenous wood. Aerial cableway was
utilized to lower the sleepers onto a coastal steamer, named Clara.
Rumour has it that Lady Clara, was a lady of great strength and
character and could load up to 200 tons of timber with each
sailing.
Henry Read, the Mill Manager took permanent
residence at the Duthie’s shooting box, which he altered. He showed
a flair for entrepreneurship and established a trading post
comprising a shop and butcher. This saw the beginnings of Storms
River Village. In 1946 Mr. Herring bought the property from Mr.
Read. The Tsitsikamma Forest Inn was conceived, built and managed by
Herring and his partner Foster along the dusty main road at the
entrance of the Storms River Pass. To this day travellers consider
this as one of their havens along the Garden Route.
Protea
Hotel Tsitsikamma Village Inn
The attorneys, Green and Seals
bought the Inn from Mr. Foster in 1974. In 1976 Ron Wilson joined
Green and Seals and bought the property shortly thereafter. In 1981
Jan du Rand bought the Inn from Mr. Wilson and began upgrading and
refurbishing the premises. In 1987 the famous Tsitsikamma Forest Inn
was enlarged, renovated and refurbished in an ambitious R 750 000
project. The Tsitsikamma Forest Inn added 16 log cabins. The
original 18 rooms were demolished in 1996 and resulted in the
rebuilding of the original 18 rooms plus an additional 8 rooms.
Jan du Rand’s dream was to create a magical new world that
still maintained values of traditional hospitality and old world
charm. Today the Tsitsikamma Forest Inn is known as the Protea Hotel
Tsitsikamma Village Inn boasting 49 elegant rooms. Its unique
history, design and charm offer travellers a break from the rat race
and chaotic lifestyles of our time. Stay where weary travellers have
stayed for well over a century and step back to a time when the pace
of life was still slow.
|
|
HOME
PAGE
Cape
Town
Mossel Bay
Oudtshoorn
Wilderness
Knysna
Plettenberg Bay
Tsitsikamma
Port
Elizabeth
Jeffreys
Bay
Info
St Francis Bay Info
South Africa Info
Lynx Tours
|
