Our Heritage Site
In 1713, the land under this building was granted to a man named Willem Basson. Three hundred and twelve years later, you can book a table on it. Kronendal is a Cape Dutch homestead on Main Road in Hout Bay, declared a National Monument in 1960. It is not a museum. The fire is lit six days a week.
Protected Heritage Status
On 9 September 1960, Kronendal was declared a National Monument. That is a legal status, not a marketing one. It means the gables, the walls and the proportions of this house are protected, and that none of it can be quietly modernised. Which is why the ceilings are low, the doorways are narrow, and every room is the size it was when it was built. We did not choose the layout. We inherited it.
A Living Landmark, Still Welcoming Guests
Most protected buildings end up behind rope. This one kept working. Kronendal has been a restaurant for decades, and that is the reason it is still in good repair, because a building that earns its keep gets looked after.
It also means you get closer to it than any tour would allow. You sit in the original rooms, in their original proportions, under their original ceilings. The history here is not on a plaque. It is the floor you are standing on.
The Oaks Across The Road And The Legend Of Elsa
Around 1840, the Cloete family owned Kronendal for a short time. Daniel Cloete had a daughter named Elsa. A British garrison was stationed in Hout Bay, and Elsa fell in love with one of the soldiers. She was Dutch, he was British, and in 1840 that was the end of the conversation. The family forbade it. So they met at the windows. The story says that was the closest they ever got, her inside the house and him outside in the dark, talking through the glass at the front of the homestead.
It ends the way these stories end. The soldier is said to have hanged himself from one of the oak trees in the avenue across the road. Elsa died not long after, of what the story calls a broken heart. The oaks are still standing. You can see them from the front of the house.
Sightings And Local Folklore
Since the 1970s, at least five sightings have been written up in local newspapers and magazines, and they are unusually consistent with each other. A man among the oaks around sunset, standing still, facing the house. A young woman in an old-fashioned blue dress at one of the front windows. Elsa has been reported inside the building too.
South African History Online records an English architect, visiting, who described seeing a woman in period clothing inside the building and was only told afterwards who she was supposed to be. We are not going to tell you what to believe about any of that. What we will tell you is that we set a table for Elsa. Every day. Place laid, wine poured, nobody sitting there. It costs us a glass of wine, and it has never once felt silly.
The short history
- 1713
- Land at Kronendal is granted to Willem Basson. This is the 1713 in the name.
- 1777
- Jacobus Bierman buys the property and it is worked as a farm.
- c.1800
- The gabled Cape Dutch manor house is built. This is the building you eat in.
- c.1840
- The Cloete family own Kronendal briefly. The legend of Elsa dates from here.
- 1960
- Declared a National Monument on 9 September, under the National Monuments Council.
- 1970s on
- At least five sightings documented in local newspapers and magazines.
- December 2025
- Kronendal 1713 opens as a braai restaurant and bar in the manor.
Questions
How old is Kronendal 1713?
There are two answers, because the estate and the house are not the same age. The land was granted to Willem Basson in 1713, so the estate is just over three hundred years old. The gabled Cape Dutch manor house was built around 1800, so the building itself is about two hundred and twenty-five. It was declared a National Monument on 9 September 1960.
Is Kronendal 1713 haunted?
That depends what you are willing to believe. The legend of Elsa dates to around 1840, and since the 1970s at least five sightings have been documented in local newspapers and magazines: a man among the oak trees across the road at sunset, and a young woman in an old-fashioned blue dress at the front windows. South African History Online records an account from a visiting English architect who described seeing a woman in period clothing inside the building. We set a table for Elsa every day, with a glass of wine poured.
Who was Elsa?
By local legend, Elsa was the daughter of Daniel Cloete, whose family owned Kronendal briefly around 1840. She fell in love with a British soldier from the garrison stationed in Hout Bay. The match was forbidden because she was Dutch and he was British, and the story says they met in secret at the front windows of the house. The soldier is said to have hanged himself from an oak in the avenue across the road, and Elsa to have died of a broken heart soon after. The oaks are still there.
Can you eat in the historic manor house?
Yes. Kronendal 1713 is a working braai restaurant and bar inside the manor, at 140 Hout Bay Main Rd, Hout Bay, Cape Town. Open Tuesday to Sunday from midday, closed Mondays. The food is cooked over open fire and the rooms are the original ones. Booking is recommended, especially on live music nights.
Visiting the house
Kronendal 1713, 140 Hout Bay Main Rd, Hout Bay, Cape Town. Open Tuesday to Sunday from midday, closed Mondays. The approach from town is Chapman’s Peak Drive, which is worth the detour on its own, and there is parking on the estate.
The kitchen runs on open fire. The rooms are the original rooms. Elsa’s table is set whether you believe in her or not.
The Oldest Estate in Hout Bay
Kronendal is the oldest estate in Hout Bay. The land was granted in 1713 and the manor standing here today was built around 1800.
The house is still a working restaurant. See what comes off the open fire on the braai menu, or book a table.