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‘Le Grand Jardin’ which is a mix of the French and English language, meaning ‘the grand garden’, can only begin to describe the feast our eyes rest upon that this classic manor encapsulates. From the natural surroundings to the rich history of its development, Le Grand Jardin can be seen as the villa of wonder, fun and pure opulence.
When history is involved, a place and home become that much more magical, very enchanting and oh-so-wonderful. That was most certainly the case for Le Grand Jardin which originally came about in 1934 by a student of Sir Herbert Baker.
Sir Baker was a well-known architect around the world, whose presence was firmly noted in and around South Africa, with his iconic buildings such as the Union Building in Pretoria, Groote Schuur in Cape Town and other universities, prime minister residences and more. Sir Baker designs include the most classic Cape Dutch style with the influence of Neo-classic, lending itself to the period it was built in during the early 1900s.
While Sue and Bernard Fontannaz only attained this home 20-something years ago and originally as their own family home, they have done everything in their power to preserve the history of this classic wonder, keeping the original H-shape design, restoring the Burmese teak staircase and grand double door entrance hall among other small touches here and there. Architect Gerrit van der Wolf gladly accepted the opportunity to be able to work with the couple in restoring the home to its former glory and transforming the space from a family home to a home now being shared with the world containing infinite historic memory.