Not only is Rockhaven a well-known Cowies Hill home but it’s also the most prestigious home to come on the local market.
This home has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a heated swimming pool, jacuzzi and garaging for four cars. It is on the market for R11.95 million - click here to view.
This is according to Lee Ellis, inland director of Tyson Properties, who says they recently sold luxury sectional title units in gated estates in Cowies Hill in excess of R5 million, however, to the best of their knowledge, there is no home anywhere in Cowies Hill that matches this impressive stately homestead.
Ideal for an exclusive bed and breakfast establishment, boutique hotel, foreign consulate/embassy or the stately home that it has been for nearly a century, Rockhaven is surrounded by 4 500 square metres of flat landscaped gardens and comprises a main homestead plus two separate dwellings.
The double storey Cape Dutch main house was built in 1921 by Alfred Cyril Braby, originator of the well-known Braby’s directories and a leading figure in the province’s publishing and media industry. After living in Berea for 20 years, he decided to relocate to Cowies Hill to enjoy the healthy climate and lush green surrounds - distinguishing features of this suburb to this day.
Rockhaven’s architectural features include teak sash windows, wood carved architraves, yellowwood beams, teak doors, and quarry type tiles that run the entire length of the home.
Rockhaven’s architectural features include teak sash windows, wood carved architraves, yellowwood beams, teak doors, and quarry type tiles that run the entire length of the home.
The main home features a wooden paneled entrance hall around which a number of reception rooms are arranged. Ellis says these elegant rooms have high ceilings and soaring windows which heighten the feeling of space. He says they have original yellowwood beams, are decorated with feature cornicing and have either brass light fittings or chandeliers.
There is a formal entertainment size dining room which is ideal for gracious entertaining as well as a separate breakfast room that leads to a fitted kitchen. This has a wide range of fitted appliances and granite worktops with a pantry, scullery and ample storage space.
On the ground floor, there is also a large formal sitting room that is enhanced by a majestic mantelpiece and fireplace. This leads into an informal living room with an impressive open fireplace and double
The main home features a wooden paneled entrance hall around which a number of reception rooms are arranged.
wooden doors that lead into the garden.
A stately billiard room with a full size billiard table is also located in this area. It is flanked by a wooden paneled reception room that is currently utilised as a study. A utility room and a cloakroom complete the downstairs accommodation.
A sweeping wooden staircase from the entrance hall leads to the first floor. Here, there is a large master bedroom suite with a dressing room lined with fitted wardrobes and shelving and an elegant bathroom with bath, shower, double basin, bidet, and toilet.
A second en suite bedroom with a balcony is located on the opposite side of the first floor. Two more bedrooms with a communal full bathroom occupy the remainder of the upstairs space.
Two self-contained separate dwellings are located on either side of the main house - one is a one bedroom designer pad, with modern, fitted kitchen, entrance hall, dining room and lounge. The other has a
There is a formal entertainment size dining room which is ideal for gracious entertaining as well as a separate breakfast room that leads to a fitted kitchen.
similar room configuration with an extra bedroom, study and sauna.
Ellis says these two dwellings could easily be rented out to tenants bringing in extra income. He says both units could also be utilised as offices, enabling an owner to work from home.
Additional features, which are unique to Rockhaven, include an authentic stone wine cellar, a borehole and a gated gravel driveway that sweeps around the front of the house. The entire property is walled and has a state-of-the-art security system. There are garages for at least six motor vehicles and plenty of parking for visitors.
Rockhaven’s garden also sets the property apart. Braby’s wife, Maud, took five years to create the extensive gardens and employed 13 gardeners to take care of the property, orchid houses, ornamental ponds and vegetable garden. Today, thewell-manicured landscaped garden has many established trees and shrubs, original period fountains, a heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, a large wood-glass atrium and a sunken garden with a sundial.
According to Ellis, this property encapsulates historical beauty but also links in with modern day conveniences such as good shopping and medical and educational facilities. Cowies Hill is close to Durban and is well positioned within a network of highways such as the M13, M19 and N3, making the city centre as well as major nodes to both the north and south easily accessible.
It enjoys a more temperate climate than central Durban with a unique country ambience thanks to the adjoining Palmiet Nature Reserve. Due to the size of the property and its location in the lush vegetation that naturally grows in Cowies Hill, a wide variety of wildlife and birds are often seen on the grounds surrounding the home.
The best way to measure the quality of life in an area is by how long people stay, Ellis explains. In Cowies Hill, where most properties are freehold and new residential developments are few and far between, people buy to stay.
Nearly fifty percent of sellers in Cowies Hill over the past year had owned their properties for more than 10 years. Approximately 65 percent of the recent buyers in Cowies Hill were under the age of 50. Sixty percent of the existing owners in the suburb are over fifty years old. Over the past year, the number of recent buyers in the suburb under the age of 35 years amounted to nearly 27 percent of registered sales.
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