cape dutch home architecture characteristics
WHAT ARE THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF GABLED CAPE DUTCH ARCHITECTURE?
Key characteristics of the style have been cited as the central ornate gable, thatch roof, white walls, sliding-sash windows and shutters. However most homes make an exception to at least one or two of these criteria, for example the farmhouse at Vergelegen has cream walls and no shutters. Notebably the house at Uitkyk does not have a gable, but is regarded as Cape Dutch because of the sliding-sash windows an especially their layout - with a central door and three windows either side, the nearest to the door being slimmer than the others. The modernized version has straightened gables. Visit ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more on that topic.
CENTRAL GABLE
THATCH ROOF
SLIDING-SASHES
SHUTTERS
The above four are generally to be found among the historical manor houses, but there is a lot of variation an there are no hard and fast rules. Thatch or white walls on their own are not enough to classify a building as Cape Dutch, but the gable and sliding-sash windows on their own, might quite be, as we will see in the exceptional examples to follow. Go to CAPETOWNSPLENDOUR for more on this interesting subject.
UITKYK - NO GABLED HOUSE
As mentioned above, the house at Uitkyk has no gable or thatch roof for that matter. Go to ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more on South African residential styles. It is also painted cream instead of white - are we to conclude that the sliding-sash window is the central characteristic of the style? Perhaps the farmhouse has been wrongly included by architecture historians as belonging to the class of Cape Dutch! Visit ARCHITECTCAPEDUTCH for more commentary on the architectural merits.
BILTTON - NO THATCH
The house at Bilton wine farm has a corrugated metal roof instead of thatch. It is uncertain when this occurred but it is likely that the original roof burned down in a fire and was replaced by something more robust and easier to maintain. The roof looks surprisingly good with the gable. Go to ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more great homes with using this material.
GRANDE PROVENCE - NO SLIDING
The manor house at Grande Provence has side-hung windows instead of sliding-sash and no-one would dare to claim the house is less than fantastically Cape Dutch. At least a third of the homes do in fact have side hung windows, and even some of those with sliding-sash windows have a side-hung window in the gable. Go to PLOTSFORSALECAPETOWN, to purchase land in Franschhoek and build your own manor home!
VERGELEGEN - NO SHUTTERS
The farmhouse at Vergelegen is a note able example where the windows are without any shutters. Rustenberg being the other important example. See also GLITZYMAGAZINE for more sightseeing attractions in the Fairest Cape.
NEDERBURG - NO WHITE WALLS
The manor home at Nederburg Wine Estate in Paarl has light cream walls that look very traditional set against the dark timber doors and windows. Both this home and the one above having long had cream walls instead of white, this proves that white is not a necessary characteristic to classify a building as Cape Dutch. Click on RESIDENTIAL-ARCHITECTS to read more about other popular residential styles in South Africa.
BOSCHENDAL
This is a home that has it all - the gable, thatch roof, sliding-sash windows and shutters. No wonder it is a heritage site, museum, and top tourist destination! Visit ARCHITECTCOMPANIESCAPETOWN for more stunning photos of Cape Dutch buildings.
gROOT CONSTANTIA
Like Boschendal, This is a home that also has it all - the central gable, thatch roof made of grass, sliding-sashes and shutters. This is also probably one of the most well-known of the Cape Dutch houses. See CAPEGLOSSY for other interesting attractions like this.
Rustenberg
This farmhouse was mentioned earlier and you may be wondering what it looks like. It has all the key characteristics, except the shutters. If you enjoyed this page you might also like to read more at GLOSSY-MAGAZINE.
Thank-you for visiting this page about the key characteristics of Cape Dutch architecture. The authors and editors hope you found it amusing and informative. Remember that if this is not your style, there are many more to choose from at TOP-ARCHITECTS.
lanzerac hotel
This is another stunning example of the style, and also the way that the homes are often placed perfectly in their surrounding scenery with a Cape fold mountain in the background. See ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more house styles.
The arrangement of the doors and windows on the houses follows a typical pattern, although once again there are many exceptions. Typically a wide single door is placed centrally. This is flanked by a narrow window each side. Further off, are two more regular sized windows on the side wings of the main barn. A gable widow is placed in the middle of the gable which is usually a little smaller than the regular windows. See ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more on Cape Vernacular architecture which can include this style.