Yellowwood Café & NurseryYellowwood Café & Nursery located on the Karkloof Road near Howick in the Natal Midlands of South AfricaYellowwood Café & Nursery located on the Karkloof Road near Howick in the Natal Midlands of South Africa, is a wonderful heritage site with the most stunning view of the Howick Falls. Old-fashioned cuisine is served from ther A la carte restaurant. For those making a quick visit there is a coffee shop and those wanting to spend some time in this part of Midlands there is also a pub and pub menu! There is also the Yellowwood nursery, furniture and décor shop. The shed at the back has been converted into furniture Warehouse selling old furniture, new furniture, antiques and collectables. Adjoining this warehouse is the indigenous nursery, selling a wide selection of shrubs and trees grown in the Karkloof. Yellowwood café, Yellowwood Nursery, Yellowwood furniture Warehouse and Yellowwood Country Estate are situated on the Farm Fairfell. The homestead on Fairfell is an historic monument and was built in 1872. Sir George Sutton owned vast tracks of land in the Karkloof and built this home as his primary residents. In 1903 he became the 5th Prime Minister of Natal during the British occupation of Natal. He was also the person who introduced wattle to Natal and shipped of the first ten ton load of bark for the purposed of tanning, to London in 1887. The home was constructed in two main stages. The additions in 1903 included the room with a bay window surrounded by verandahs to the western side. This room is now the main dining room but was then used as an office cum study for the new prime minister. On the eastern end a kitchen and bathroom were added. The house took on a rather random quality. Some of the interesting features of this home are the fact that the stone used to construct the home was quarried at the bottom of the property on the edge of the gorge. This stone was unplastered and certainly adds to the character of the place today. The yellowwood that features quite predominantly in the house was obtained from the Karkloof indigenous forest. The present day main dining room features a vaulted ceiling which is certainly a fine example of the period. Fairfell the farm has had many subdivisions done over the years and land sold off. What remains today is twenty-two hectares. Sir George Suttons Grand Sons eventually sold this property in 1979 to Mrs. Dawn Mackenzie; she lived here for four years before selling on to Derek and Eve Hughes who subsequently spent twenty years at Fairfell. Sandra Murphy the present owner purchased the property in February of 2003. After taking occupation in May 2003, extensive renovation were undertaken to convert the beautiful old farmstead into a restaurant. Contact : Sandra Murphy Cell.:082 5750602 E-mail: scm1728@mweb.co.za |
