92.Santici

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A house with a story to tell

History of the house called Santici situated at 4A De Kock Street in Montagu South compiled by:

Leo van de Sande

In March 2011 we, Leo and Sanja van de Sande, emigrated from the Netherlands to South-Africa and bought the house in 4 De Kock Street. After shopping in Worcester a few years ago, a big surprise awaited us on our return home. There was a big envelope in our mailbox which contained a large package of original data about the house we had recently purchased.

Before the package arrived, we had already received some information about “the house with a special history” from our neighbours, the Zilverentant family, who had lived in the house from 1996 to 2011. But we didn’t have much official data. Not even the Municipality could help us, because official papers – including construction drawings – were not available. Nothing had been preserved from the past. That has now changed thanks to Mrs. Maretha Poggenpoel (maiden name De Villiers) who gave us the valuable envelope, and had lived in the house for about 15 years with her parents Louis and Athena De Villiers. On the front of the envelope is written: “Oupa De Villiers sketches. Brief van moeder”.

The contents of the envelope provided us with the following information:

On September 15, 1841 P. Swanepoel founded the farm “Uitvlucht” where Montagu now stands. One of his descendants sold part of the land in 1937 to the Municipality of Montagu. The Municipality then drew up building plans for what was to become the residential district of Montagu South.

On March 7, 1942 Henry Martyn Bridgman and his wife Maria Alice Bridgman-Marais bought the two lots 367 and 369, together measuring 44.950 square feet, for 750 English Pounds with the obligation to build one house there, which had to represent a minimum value of 500 Pounds. A Deed of Sale, drawn up on June 12, 1943, shows, that Henry Bridgman transferred his right of ownership to his wife Maria. A second Deed of Sale shows the sale from the now widow Maria Bridgman’s of the house and land to Francis Brett Young. Dated: July 19, 1948.

Montagu has attracted a number prominent artists and writers over the years. Painter Francois Krige and writer Thelma Gutsche are two examples of this. In both cases, the village’s natural beauty and healthy environment were the reasons they stayed here.

Francis Brett Young

Another prominent person to chose Montagu as home was Francis Brett Young a British military doctor and writer/poet, who lived in Montagu for several years. He spent his time managing his small holding and writing books and essays. Francis was born in 1884 in Halesowen, Worcestershire in England, the son of a general practitioner. After his university studies, he practised as a doctor from 1907 until the outbreak of the First World War. Young enlisted in the British Medical Corps in 1915 and served under General Jan Smuts as head of the Field Ambulance Team in German East Africa (present-day Tanzania). He was discharged from the army due to contracting malaria. He lived for a short time on the island of Capri and then visited South Africa at the invitation of General Jan Smuts. During this visit he decided to write the book “The Birth of a Nation”. A Book that aimed to provide a complete picture of South African history. He returned to England to resume his medical practice, but visited South Africa again in 1936. During this trip he gathered information for a book about the Great Migration of the Boers, resulting in the book: “They seek a Country”, which came out in 1937. The book became such a success that Young came to Cape Town a year later to write the sequel “a City of Gold”.

Jessica and Francis standing in Santici’s garden

His health took a setback during World War II due to the stress and other work pressures. He returned to South Africa in 1945 and settled in St. James near Fishhoek. Three years later – in 1948 – he moved to Montagu. At that time, there were only a handful of houses in Montagu South together with the hospital that opened in 1922. Francis and his wife Jessica stayed in the thatched house in De Kockstraat where, despite his poor health, he wrote his next book for the South African Tourist Corporation: “In South Africa”.

Francis Brett Young died in Cape Town in March 1954. He was one of the colourful and talented characters whose life enriched our town of Montagu with its history. Francis Brett Young can safely be called a productive and versatile writer. He wrote his first book in 1914 and his last was published – two years after his death – in 1956. In total he wrote 32 books, 4 short stories, 3 collections of poems, 2 plays, 1 piece of criticism and 1 piece of music.

On June 28, 1984 – exactly 100 years after the English writer’s birth, a commemorative plaque was unveiled next to the front door of the house in De Kock Street.

Thelma Gutsche, a fellow writer, officiated at the plaque unveiling.

The plaque is still in place 2023

On invitation of residents Eric and Tineke  Zilverentant, a delegation from the Francis Brett Young Society visited Montagu, where they also visited Brett Young’s former home. In turn, Eric and Tineke Zilverentant visited England a year later, where they came into contact with, among others, Michael Hall, the chairman of the Francis Brett Young Society. The chairman handed over the book he had written about the British writer to Eric and Tineke Zilverentant. After Leo and Sanja, the current owners purchased this house in 2011, Eric and Tineke donated this valuable book to them, it is a historically valuable souvenir of the writer who lived in this house! Fortunately, the envelope I spoke of, also contained material related to Francis Brett Young. Apparently the Englishman was not completely satisfied with the house and commissioned the Cape architectural firm Hubert & Partners to make a construction drawing in which the house had to be considerably expanded with a study/library/music room.                                            

In 1954 the writer died and his house changed hands. The very valuable material obtained about the house unfortunately did not provide a clear and complete explanation of what exactly happened after Francis Brett Young died on March 28, 1954 and his house was sold. But after some months of research we came into contact with Maretha Poggenpoel (De Villiers) and she gave us more detailed and valuable information. More about that information, later on.

Back to the envelope, that contained a lot of interesting material. For example, we have data of a construction drawing made at the back of a calendar sheet dating from May 1961 by Dr. De Villiers who bought the house from Francis Brett Young in 1954 and had lived there with his family until he sold the house in 1971. There is also a letter in which Doctor De Villiers thanks a friendly minister for good advice regarding proposed alterations to the house. There were two ministers in Montagu at that time: Rev. Weideman and Rev. Scholtz. So, one of the two was probably his advisor. That letter of thanks has the date: February 17, 1971. It does not appear that all the alterations were actually implemented. What however is certain, the house does not look like the drawing currently. At our entrance gate there is a thatched roof structure where years ago we discovered a sign with the word “Santici” on it. Meaning: “Here lies Health”. Maretha’s later information has made it clear to us, that Francis Brett Young – being also a doctor – was the creator of the name.

There was a dam on the property that was turned into a rondavel which the Villiers children and friends used as doll’s house.

It still exists on the property next door to Santici (between 3 and 5 Swanepoel Street). Santici can be seen in the background with the thatched roof.

As a final document, the envelope contained a detailed description of the house, made by Dr. De Villiers himself. In his description the house is offered for sale for the amount of   R25000. House, garden and surroundings are described in detail, including the name of Francis Brett Young. The closing sentence is also worth mentioning: “I would like to sell this exceptional property on due to my move to a hospital practice in Cape Town.  You can contact Dr. De Villiers on telephone number 10 of Montagu.

More about the De Villiers family:

Their life in Montagu started in the “Monica Woonstelle” on the corner of Rawson and Piet Retief Streets. Louis & Athena De Villiers had four children: Maretha, Denise, Louis and Charles. The children were all in the old kindergarten as well as the old primary school. Maretha, Denise and Louis junior went to the new High school. Father Louis worked as a medical doctor from 1952-1970 and was in partnership with Dr. Koos Retief and Dr. Gert Oosthuizen. In those years Dr. Louis De Villiers and Dr. Koos Retief were very involved at the hospital and did quite intricate surgery there. Koos Retief being the surgeon and Louis De Villiers was anaesthetist. There were not all that many specialists. The consulting rooms were in Bathstreet, where later doctors also practised for several years. Louis De Villiers and Mr. McSweeney Municipal Engineer always used to go mountain climbing on Sundays. They planted a flag post on top of Aasvoêl Krans. On Dr. De Villiers birthday which was on the 11th of December, there was normally a huge celebration with half of the town coming for dinner at Santici. The De Villiers family travelled a lot and that happened always in Ford motor cars: Ford Prefects (a few), Ford Anglia, Ford Cortina GT and Ford Fairlane. Mrs. Athena De Villiers used to be the lecturer training nurses at the local hospital. She was also always involved with the organising of concerts in Montagu. She was very friendly with the likes of Gerrit Wessels and Commander Scott who lived out at the Baths and were well known local personalities. People from the Kruik-gemeente Secunda, were regular visitors staying over at Santici whenever they came to Montagu. Also frequent visitors were oom Koos “Boekies” Bresler Knipe and Jos Coetzee, partners in an apple farm in the Langkloof. The fruit farm still exists, named: “Versameling”.         

When Athena De Villiers arrived in Montagu she couldn’t speak a word of Afrikaans. At that stage she was working at the hospital as a nursing sister and walked to work via the old De Waal bridge in Kohler Street. Her journey to work took her passed the home of oom Sors Joubert where feeling very proud of herself she would greet oom Sors in Afrikaans: “Môre oom tjorts…..” loudly. Oom Sors took it for a few mornings and then went to see Dr. Louis at the surgery saying: “ Doktertjie, sê jy vir hierdie Engelse vrou van jou wat beteken tjorts…!!”.

On 04-05-1971 Dr. De Villiers sold Santici House to Lodewicus Andries Michiel Kruger, born on 24-01-1909.

His stay in the house was a short one, because two years later on 17-08-1973 Hugh Stanley Houghton-Hawksley became the next owner. He was a teacher and vice principal at the Montagu High school. On 1 April 1975 Hugh and his wife Nita went on holiday for three months. They generously offered Santici to Mr. Errol and Anita Punt rent free.

Errol Punt: “ Ek het die Hoofskappos by die Laerskool vanaf 1 April 1975 gekry. Ons kon nerens ’n huis te huur kry nie. Weereens het die Here vir ons wonderlik gesorg, nie net met die hoofskap nie, maar uit die bloute het die waarnemende hoof van die Hoêrskool, Mnr. Hugh Hawksley, my genader en sy huis, Santici, gratis aan ons aangebied om dit te bewoon vir drie maande. Ons het heerlik daar gebly en die Here het hom geseen deurdat hy ’n inspekteur van skole in Durbanville geword het. Julie 1975 het ons ons huidige huis gekoop. Die Hawksleys was baie dierbare mense en ons is steeds dankbaar vir hul gulhartigheid !”

After being a teacher Hugh Houghton-Hawksley became an inspector at the Cape Education Department. He retired in 1991 and lived in Mossel Bay. He was not only a teacher/inspector; he was also a writer and more specially the writer of children’s books. Most famous is the Jamie Jaguar trilogy. In January 2018 Dr. Hugh Houghton-Hawksley and his wife Nita set off on a round-the-world tour. With them they took Jamie Jaguar, a lovable soft toy, who has since made quite a name for himself among children on the Garden Route. Hawksley has written and published three children books about their experiences on tour, as seen through the eyes of Jamie Jaguar. Jamie’s adventure began in his hometown. First, the trio flew from Cape Town via Dubai to New York, where they boarded the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner for their world tour. From there on it was smooth sailing, taking in the fabulous wonders of the cities and towns on the Caribbean Sea before making their way through the incredible Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean. Their adventure included stops in Guatemala, Mexico, the West-Coast of the USA, Hawaii and French Polynesia.

After that the liner headed for New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius and La Réunion. At the end of three months the ship returned to Cape Town, where they disembarked for the last time and hit the road back to Mossel Bay. After the trip Hugh Houghton-Hawksley wrote three books:

        Hello Jamie Jaguar, Speak to me,  Jamie Jaguar, Jamie Jaguar’s World Tour.

The writer stresses that his books are not traditional textbooks or storybooks but sources of enjoyment. Youngsters will develop a love for reading which will remain with them throughout their lives. (www.georgeherald.com)

According to information from his daughter Theresa, Hugh Houghton-Hawksley died on July 16, 2021.

After Hugh Houghton-Hawksley, Jacob Bothma became the next owner on 29-01-1979. Jacob Bothma was a manager at the Langeberg Fruit Company in Worcester. After the closure of the Worcester branch, Bothma was transfered to the Ashton factory. In 1996, Jacob Bothma put Santici up for sale which coincided with Eric and Tineke Zilverentant selling their house in Melkbosstrand and buying the restaurant Romano’s in Montagu.

A short time later they settled in the house at 4 De Kock Street. The house was now about 55 years old and in need of some renovation. The only change to the exterior of the house was an extension with two new bathrooms and inside a wall was partially removed to create a larger living room. All kinds of original details have been preserved, such as the special fireplace.

Very special was the fact that this enterprising couple quit their jobs at the age of 56 and started something completely new: Running a restaurant without any prior experience. In a short time it became one of the best dining places in Montagu. After a few years the opportunity presented itself to buy the Kloofpadstal on Longstreet and they did not pass up the opportunity. They also made ensured that this became a landmark in Montagu.

With their heavy workload, large house and garden and water restrictions being implemented in 2008 due to persistent drought, the garden with a large lawn became a problem. This led to a decision to subdivide their property. The Santici house was put up for sale at the end of 2010 (street number changed to 4A) and a new house for the Zilverentant’s was built on the plot created by the subdivision (number 4).

The Santici house was not even officially for sale when Leo and Sanja van de Sande made contact with the Zilverentant’s and offered to buy Santici. Leo and Sanja , who until then had worked in education in the Netherlands as a headmaster and a teacher respectively, wanted as pensioners to broaden their horizon, say goodbye to their homeland and live elsewhere. Family in Klaasvoogds Robertson advised them to choose Montagu and in January 2011 Leo and Sanja became the new owners of the Santici house.

They have been living in this house for twelve years now (August 2023) and hope to continue living here for a long time. After more than eighty years the house is still in good condition. This became clear once again in 2016 when the entire old reed was completely removed for the first time and replaced by a new thatched covering. The underlying woodwork turned out to be in excellent and completely undamaged condition.

 So much so about Santici, a Montagu-South house with a remarkable story.


                                  

                             

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