KNYSNA NEWS - One of the oldest surviving buildings in the forests of Knysna, the 141-year-old Old Coach House, has been restored to its former glory.
The Old Coach House, also known in the past as a "hotel in a forest" or the "grand old forest lady", situated at De Poort, adjacent to the Garden of Eden in Harkerville. It was used as a travellers' inn alongside the original ox-wagon route through the forest.
The history of the inn at De Poort has been well researched by local historians and is associated with significant local personalities like Sarah Rex, R Holt, Johanna Thesen, Paul Emil Bertlesen, Henry Morgan, William Morrow, Ludwig Johnson and many more, having welcomed visitors over many years.
The renovations were made possible through generous donations by Debbie Stanley (Eco-Ed, Coach House tenant and main sponsor of the renovations), PG Bison as well as the owners of Eco-Ed, a local business that uses the facility to run educational wilderness workshops for kids.
"The renovations on the Old Coach House consisted of extensive repairs due to water damage, carpentry and replastering work, as well as painting," says Pieter Bruwer, account director at PG Bison.
"We salute Eco-Ed for their generous donation towards the renovation of the building and PG Bison for their contribution. With the successful conclusion of a renovation project driven by PG Bison and Eco-Ed, it is appropriate that we learn more of its interesting history," says Caveney.
The first of these auctions took place in 1847.
Lot 16, the 306 morgen (262 hectare) farm property on which the Old Coach House stands today, was only partially afforested being mostly of fynbos. No offers to purchase this piece of land were received when the property was auctioned. However, Sarah Rex, daughter of George Rex and wife of Knysna postmaster Robert Henry Atkinson, later made an offer based on the earlier upset price, or reserve price, of £91 and 16 shillings, and took ownership of the land in 1848. The Atkinsons lived here until settling in the village of Knysna in 1861.
The property lay on the old wagon road between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, as well as the road to Fisanthoek, and as such was well positioned for the establishment of what can be best described as a roadside inn or tavern. A certain R Holt is reported as running an unlicensed inn at De Poort in 1871.
"The local historical society has also acknowledged the efforts to renovate the building and will soon place a plaque at its entrance signifying its status as a heritage building, along with the ruins of an old mill further down the old travellers' road," says Stanley, who co-owns Eco-Ed with Harriet Thesen, descendant of one of Knysna's first settler families.
Eco-Ed leases the property from PG Bison, a diversified timber company and major employer in the area, to run educational workshops for children and ecotours.
"We do a lot of pro bono work in local communities, but also receive groups from all over the country. Even international tour groups visit us to be introduced to the local forest fauna and flora," explains Stanley, a biology and science teacher by training.
"We help them discover the amazing natural heritage of the Garden Route from this building, which has seen so much over the past century."
In the 1870s Knysna had only 25 settler dwellings with a total population of 200. This rocketed to over 1 000 by 1880.
The route through the forest was used by the indigenous Khoi population as well as settlers, and was an ideal place for local renegades to ambush Dutch settlers fleeing frontier violence not long before foundations for the inn were laid.
In 1875, the land was sold by Sarah Rex to the Bertelsen family.
As the local population and traffic through the "poort" (thoroughfare) increased, the Bertelsens saw the need for lodgings on the forest route connecting Knysna and Plett, and the Wayside Inn came to be.
"The ox wagon trail ran right past the inn, making it a very convenient stop for travellers to stay over," explains Stanley.
Today it stands as a vanguard watching over the route travelled by rebels, anxious colonists, indigenous tribes and – most probably – forest elephants.
Davey Carelse, human resources manager at PG Bison in Knysna, says the company is fully aware of its responsibility to care for the large tracts of land in its care.
"We own the plantations, but along with it comes large sections of indigenous forest, historical sites and buildings, as well as places where communities have lived on company land for generations.
"Our concern is not just for this building. We have been involved in a variety of initiatives to preserve what has been entrusted to us.”
He says these efforts include clearing cemeteries in forest-based communities, renovating or building facilities for schools, a housing subsidy scheme and a very successful learnership programme to train young people as foresters.
Stanley says she has been operating the environmental education centre from the Old Coach House for the past 16 years. Over that time, the elements have taken their toll, and it was in need of urgent renovation and a face-lift.
She and Harriet (Eco-Ed) personally contributed significantly to the renovations, while PG Bison donated funds towards the materials.
ARTICLE: CHRISTO VERMAAK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD NEWS EDITOR
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