A VISIT to Ducks Country House wowed the WOW ladies as they enjoyed a talk giving some of the history of Ducks and Henley on Klip, where you’ll find Ducks.
“Ducks lies next to the river bank and was previously the home of Johann and Irma Coetzee and their four children. Irma successfully converted their family home with its beautiful gardens and romantic garden cottages, into a warm and welcoming guest house,” Hilda Theck (chairperson of WOW) told the members.
Hilda went on to chat about the history of Henley. “The village was founded in 1904 by Advocate Horace Kent. Born in 1855 in Henley on Thames, England, Kent came to South Africa in 1898. The area where Henley on Klip is situated, reminded Kent of his hometown and in conjunction with the Small Farms Company (SFC), he bought the land from a Mr van der Westhuizen for a price of 5 000 Pounds and the land was divided into smallholdings.
“During the South African War, British troops were stationed in the village to guard a nearby railway line to Johannesburg.
“In the early years the village became a very popular weekend destination with visitors coming in by train from Johannesburg. The village celebrated its centenary in 2004.”
After the talk the ladies enjoyed delicious scones and coffee while sitting by a roaring fire in the Ducks coffee shop.
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