A classically timeless estate
Bishops Hall in the verdant suburb of Bishopscourt, is a graceful family getaway that exudes elegance, surrounded by lush gardens and rich heritage at the foot of Table Mountain.
It’s a bit like walking through the pages of a beautifully illustrated storybook, when arriving at Bishops Hall. An enchanting, wondrous world awaits your discovery. The façade says it all. Enrobed in ivy leaves that transform in colour with the seasons. Glistening in all their glory in the Cape Town sunshine. A graceful estate, full of tradition and glamour has been ardently restored into a contemporary, countryside villa on the slopes of Table Mountain. Where you and your favourite clan – as many as seventeen of you – can occupy the cornucopia of indoor and outdoor areas that this magnificent suburban sanctuary has to offer.Â
The perfect place for multigenerational family holidays and long, sabbatical-inspired African escapes, this incredibly spacious Bishopscourt retreat features two levels of sublime living, dining, reclining and entertaining spaces. Staggered across the main manor house and accompanying cottage. The main house boasts a luxurious master suite, complete with his-and-hers en-suite bathrooms, and spectacular mountain views. Three additional en-suite bedrooms command their space down the corridors of the first floor. Each with enough comfort and privacy, for those that like to retreat to their own quarters. Adjacent to the main house, as an immediate extension, rests the charming cottage. Another two classic ensuite bedrooms and a versatile kids’ room with two pull-out beds, to up the numbers of your travelling team. A cozy single bedroom with a small ensuite can also serve as a nanny’s room, making it ideal for the extra holiday help.
All bound together by a vibrant bar and TV entertainment area. Seamlessly merging with the garden and swimming pool area. A place where you’ll gather for long, lazy lunches and dreamy al fresco dinners beneath the creeping vines. Lost in the landscape that unravels around you. For those meals, when it becomes more of a banquet, the mammoth dining room in the main house makes quite the statement. Hosting as many as 12 family members around a bespoke grand table. There’s enough additional furniture to add on a table over here or there.
Luxury, tradition and family
Days, weeks or months spent at Bishops Hall will certainly always be as riveting as they will be restful! That picture book becoming your own work of art as you decorate your days around the villa. Spending time in the beautiful gardens. So many secret spots to discover. Sourcing fresh ingredients from the flourishing vegetable and herb patches. Pumpkins, spinach, melons, brinjals, tomatoes, and everything you need for the salad. Avocados from the trees and olives from the orchard. The kids will collect fresh eggs every morning, supplied by the four friendly Australorp chickens that freely roam the grounds. Tennis will be on the cards for the afternoon. Pétanque and cartwheel competitions. Plenty of swimming and snoozing on the lawn, beneath the trees and cooled down by the mountain’s breeze. There will also be the moments when you venture out to some of the neighbouring wine farms, their esteemed restaurants and of course a beach mission on those sweltering, summer days. The nature trails beckon a hike or mountain bike, and the city’s attractions are only a brief drive away. That’s the essence of Bishops Hall, and what makes it so enticing to retreat to. Everything is within reach, yet all of what you’ll enjoy most is on her grounds, being surrounded by nature and the comfort of her familial embrace. Layered in the luxury of this breathtakingly beautiful home!
What we love!
- Throughout the day, the property gets a lot of sunlight. Wherever you choose to spend your time, or whatever the Cape’s temperatures are, you can hang out in the beautiful gardens or rest indoors somewhere tranquil. It’s wonderful to return home after a busy day exploring, and you’re welcomed back to a calming oasis. The feeling of being in the middle of nature, somewhere completely remote, yet minutes from town.Â
- The expansive manor house has plenty of entertainment and quiet, secluded spaces. A beautiful traditional library and study that closes itself off is ideal for those needing to work remotely.
- The SPECTACULAR sweeping views of Table Mountain.
- The house is classical, romantic and beautiful, but is entirely unique in its minimalist interiors, with contemporary European lighting, furnishings and fixtures. There are old elements with the feeling of history and tradition, but also laidback with a family-friendly ambience. Old marble with herringbone timber side by side one another. Danish lamps, Josef Frank textiles and paintings by local South African artists. Tying the cultures together. An old family heirloom dating back as far as the 1820’s rests over bright and buoyant rugs.Â
- Spending time in the wonderfully spacious bathroom of the master bedroom, deeply submerged in the bathtub, gazing out to the mountain.Â
- Swimming in the enchanted eco pool with dreamlike water lilies, then lounging on the lovely daybeds. Wading about for hours in the water, lapping up the energy of the mountain.
- Whilst some of you might be snoozing in your own suites in the afternoon, others will be in the kitchen, or in the swimming pool. Some on the tennis court, others sourcing ingredients from the garden for the family chefs. Some might be snacking around the bar and entertainment area, playing games and keeping up the holiday competitions…there’s an abundance of space that either segregates or congregates, depending on what you and your clan fancy.Â
What you need to know…
- Bishops Hall sits within the hilly suburb of Bishopscourt – a mere 15-minute drive from Cape Town’s city centre. The beaches are only a 20-minute drive away and the nature trails around Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and up towards Table Mountain are within a short walking distance.Â
- Cape Town’s Constantia wine region – home to some of the country’s finest restaurants and wine estates – is a 10-minute drive away. Take a short drive and explore all that the region has to offer including Buitenverwachting, Beau Constantia (spectacular views of the valley), Steenberg Vineyards – that’s home to Bistro Sixteen82 and Catharina’s – and of course Silvermist Wine Estate where La Colombe’s kitchen cooks up the most iconic and internationally acclaimed menus in South Africa.
- If Bishops Hall is not available on your dates, browse our full collection of exclusive-use holiday houses in Bishopscourt.Â
Reviewed by Colleen Ogilvie