It’s a bit like walking through the pages of a beautifully illustrated storybook, when arriving at Bishops Hall. An enchanting, wondrous world awaits your discovery. The façade says it all. Enrobed in ivy leaves that transform in colour with the seasons. Glistening in all their glory in the Cape Town sunshine.
A graceful estate, full of tradition and glamour has been ardently restored into a contemporary, countryside villa on the slopes of Table Mountain. Where you and your favourite clan – as many as seventeen of you – can occupy the cornucopia of indoor and outdoor areas that this magnificent suburban sanctuary has to offer.
The perfect place for multigenerational family holidays and long, sabbatical-inspired African escapes, this incredibly spacious Bishopscourt retreat features two levels of sublime living, dining, reclining and entertaining spaces. Staggered across the main manor house and accompanying cottage.
The main house boasts a luxurious master suite, complete with his-and-hers en-suite bathrooms, and spectacular mountain views. Three additional en-suite bedrooms command their space down the corridors of the first floor. Each with enough comfort and privacy, for those that like to retreat to their own quarters. Adjacent to the main house, as an immediate extension, rests the charming cottage. Another two classic ensuite bedrooms and a versatile kids’ room with two pull-out beds, to up the numbers of your travelling team. A cozy single bedroom with a small ensuite can also serve as a nanny’s room, making it ideal for the extra holiday help.
All bound together by a vibrant bar and TV entertainment area. Seamlessly merging with the garden and swimming pool area. A place where you’ll gather for long, lazy lunches and dreamy al fresco dinners beneath the creeping vines. Lost in the landscape that unravels around you. For those meals, when it becomes more of a banquet, the mammoth dining room in the main house makes quite the statement. Hosting as many as 12 family members around a bespoke grand table. There’s enough additional furniture to add on a table over here or there.
Luxury, tradition and family
Days, weeks or months spent at Bishops Hall will certainly always be as riveting as they will be restful! That picture book becoming your own work of art as you decorate your days around the villa. Spending time in the beautiful gardens. So many secret spots to discover.
Sourcing fresh ingredients from the flourishing vegetable and herb patches. Pumpkins, spinach, melons, brinjals, tomatoes, and everything you need for the salad. Avocados from the trees and olives from the orchard. The kids will collect fresh eggs every morning, supplied by the four friendly Australorp chickens that freely roam the grounds.
Tennis will be on the cards for the afternoon. Pétanque and cartwheel competitions. Plenty of swimming and snoozing on the lawn, beneath the trees and cooled down by the mountain’s breeze. There will also be the moments when you venture out to some of the neighbouring wine farms, their esteemed restaurants and of course a beach mission on those sweltering, summer days.
The nature trails beckon a hike or mountain bike, and the city’s attractions are only a brief drive away. That’s the essence of Bishops Hall, and what makes it so enticing to retreat to. Everything is within reach, yet all of what you’ll enjoy most is on her grounds, being surrounded by nature and the comfort of her familial embrace. Layered in the luxury of this breathtakingly beautiful home!
Reviewed by Colleen Ogilvie