Meerust Guest House

Interesting Facts

4.1 Cellar – Mr Tjokkie Stegman, had a talent for good sense of smell, particularly in tasting wine.  He has won a prestige wine tasting competition, hence the several labels featuring on the cellar walls.

4.2  Architect – Clive Donald, according to the building plans, was practicing from, 385 Ridgestraat,  Mucleneuk in Pretoria.  

4.3 Main spiral stair’s timber railing and balustrade history:  according to the story, Isabelle’s dad offered the very precious geelhout timber trusses from his barn to his son Iaw, Tjokkie, on condition that he would replace the timber with a lower grade timber like pine.   

4.4 A glass Milk bottle, dated from the days when milk was delivered to your front door, was found during the recent renovations, labelled:  GEPASTEURISEERDE MELK.  TRANSVAAL MELKERYE (Edms) Bpk.  Geldenhuisweg 13, Malvern Oos.  Foon 25.1235. This bottle would have been left by the construction team from 1973.

4.5 Mayor – Isabelle and Tjokkie Stegman served as the Major’s couple of Kemptonpark from March 1984 – March 1985. 

4.6 The architectural style that the owners picked out for their home, was based on Meerlust wine farm back in 1972.  This is evident in the resemblance of the similar front elevations and look alike Gable types, named the Holbol gable.  I said they made a good choice back then. 

4.7 The adjacent Streets in the area of Terenure are named after family or friends to the Stegman’s.  

Stegman Street is named after the surname of Johannes Nicholas Stegman.

Maire-Louise Street is named after Tjokkie’s sister. 

Able street is named after Johannes Nicholas’s Stegman’s business partner. 

De Villiers Street is named after Tjokkie’s brother.

4.8 De Kat stoep:  Isabelle Stegman was in love with De Kat stoep at the Castle in Cape Town.  She had to have her own Kat stoep.  Why not? A talented builder and plasterer used her pictures and photo’s to create Meerust’s own Kat stoep.  Still standing proud today. 4.9       The Clock tower:  Around the area, several clock towers were found on neighbouring stands.  It is not certain but was most likely built as a garden feature that was associated with Cape Dutch architecture and features.  At Le Chateau Guest House up the road is a majestic clocktower still in use today to announce celebrations.Â