Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
On the edge of the Western Cape wine region lies the historic Vergelegen estate. The estate was founded in 1700 by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel and went on to become one of South Africa’s best-known historic country estates.
Surrounding the central manor house are several gardens, each with its own character. The formal rose garden is laid out in classical symmetry, with straight avenues, low hedges and fountains. In spring, hundreds of rose bushes provide colour and fragrance.
The so-called Octagonal Garden is an octagonal garden with carefully pruned shrubs and footpaths offering views of the Helderberg mountains. The large lawns and avenues of old oak trees give the grounds a peaceful, almost park-like atmosphere.
A special feature of Vergelegen is its centuries-old camphor trees. These monumental trees were planted in the early eighteenth century and are now among South Africa’s best-known historic trees. Scattered across the grounds are various historic buildings. The whitewashed manor house, built in the Cape Dutch style, forms the heart of Vergelegen. Inside, high ceilings, wooden floors and antique furniture are a reminder of the Cape’s colonial past.
Next to the main building stands the old wine cellar, where wine was once produced. The thick walls and small windows kept the temperature constant during the production process. The former stables, workers’ cottages and storehouses have also been preserved and give an insight into daily life on the estate in centuries past.
Today, Vergelegen combines historical heritage with modern viticulture and nature conservation. Together, the gardens and buildings offer a unique insight into more than three hundred years of South African history.
We visited South Africa on our overland trip by car (a Toyota LandCruiser 4WD campervan) from West-Africa; see our channel youtube.com/user/JanvanBekkum for hundreds of clips. More clips of South Africa can be found here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMYlw_C7EP8KWMTl_Mj0Rk0vTHjwefStx.
Music and/or sound effects:
- Gavotte for recorder ensemble - Orchestral suite no. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 by Papalin distributed by MusOpen (https://musopen.org). It has been identified as Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0);
- 'Symphony of the Streets. Hip-Hop Background Music for video 60 second' created by Maksim Dudchyk and uploaded from Pixbay (pixabay.com/nl/music/orkestraal-symphony-of-the-streets-hip-hop-background-music-for-video-60-second-476679/).;
- 'Calm inspiring technology logo short version' created by Alex Zavesa, distributed by Pixabay (pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-calm-inspiring-technology-logo-short-version-518993/).
On the edge of the Western Cape wine region lies the historic Vergelegen estate. The estate was founded in 1700 by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel and went on to become one of South Africa’s best-known historic country estates.
Surrounding the central manor house are several gardens, each with its own character. The formal rose garden is laid out in classical symmetry, with straight avenues, low hedges and fountains. In spring, hundreds of rose bushes provide colour and fragrance.
The so-called Octagonal Garden is an octagonal garden with carefully pruned shrubs and footpaths offering views of the Helderberg mountains. The large lawns and avenues of old oak trees give the grounds a peaceful, almost park-like atmosphere.
A special feature of Vergelegen is its centuries-old camphor trees. These monumental trees were planted in the early eighteenth century and are now among South Africa’s best-known historic trees. Scattered across the grounds are various historic buildings. The whitewashed manor house, built in the Cape Dutch style, forms the heart of Vergelegen. Inside, high ceilings, wooden floors and antique furniture are a reminder of the Cape’s colonial past.
Next to the main building stands the old wine cellar, where wine was once produced. The thick walls and small windows kept the temperature constant during the production process. The former stables, workers’ cottages and storehouses have also been preserved and give an insight into daily life on the estate in centuries past.
Today, Vergelegen combines historical heritage with modern viticulture and nature conservation. Together, the gardens and buildings offer a unique insight into more than three hundred years of South African history.
We visited South Africa on our overland trip by car (a Toyota LandCruiser 4WD campervan) from West-Africa; see our channel youtube.com/user/JanvanBekkum for hundreds of clips. More clips of South Africa can be found here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMYlw_C7EP8KWMTl_Mj0Rk0vTHjwefStx.
Music and/or sound effects:
- Gavotte for recorder ensemble - Orchestral suite no. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 by Papalin distributed by MusOpen (https://musopen.org). It has been identified as Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0);
- 'Symphony of the Streets. Hip-Hop Background Music for video 60 second' created by Maksim Dudchyk and uploaded from Pixbay (pixabay.com/nl/music/orkestraal-symphony-of-the-streets-hip-hop-background-music-for-video-60-second-476679/).;
- 'Calm inspiring technology logo short version' created by Alex Zavesa, distributed by Pixabay (pixabay.com/sound-effects/film-special-effects-calm-inspiring-technology-logo-short-version-518993/).
