Dates: 1880 to present
Brief historical background: This is an example of a villa, built according to English town planning.
Restrictions: none
Storage: no hard material
Known as a villa this house was built by English settlers according to English town planning, constructed of bricks, plaster and a sandstone plinth. This is a free-standing house with a square plan, which faces Laag Street, with the entrance now accessed via Uys Street. There is a wrap around verandah with spandrel balustrading and Ionic columns. The house originally had sash windows and many small rooms, including a billiard room, but the house was renovated in the mid 2000’s. The house now has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Sash windows were replaced with cottage windows. A kitchen was added between the main house and the out-buildings at some stage. The corrugated iron roof is hipped with finials. The floors are Oregon pine and are the originals while the ceilings, originally pressed ceilings, have been replaced.
The original out-buildings consisted of a shed, workshop and worker accommodation, and are built from ouklip with a simple double-pitched roof. The shed, which was a cow shed, has been renovated into a workshop/conference space by levelling the floors and adding power. Worker accommodation is now a self-catering cottage, and the rest of the space is now a garage and a studio space.
Condition of the buildings: excellent.
Other information:
There is a reservoir on the property and this used to be fed by the borehole. A small shed in poor condition sits on the north-east side of the property – this seems to have been used as a small animal shelter but was also added onto as a child’s ‘wendy house’ at some stage.
When the house was bought from the Hazelhurst family and renovations were done, it was given the name Lavendlebe. The house was then sold to Brian and Brenda Dennis who used it as a holiday home. When it was sold to Carol Preston the house was renamed Cranmore Lodge. It is still currently owned by Carol Preston
GPS coordinates: 27,358546; 30,145957
References: Collection sourced by Rita Wiesemann and Carol Preston; February 2023
