About
With the Simonsberg, Du Toitskloof and Franschhoek mountains as backdrop, Babylonstoren's garden is majestic. Dating back to 1692, the fortunes of this historic fruit and wine farm took a turn ten years ago when it fell under the gaze of former magazine editor Karen Roos. Her passion for historic Cape Dutch style led to an authentic yet contemporary restoration that projects the farm into the future.

In 1692, Babylonstoren farm was granted to burgher Pieter van der Byl by the then Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel. Prior to that, the Drakenstein Valley had been inhabited by the nomadic Khoisan communities for tens of centuries. And so it was Pieter van der Byl who planted the first vineyards on the farm and who altered the water courses to provide irrigation.
Some of the farm’s earliest structures from that time remain on the farm today, with Babylonstoren’s Cape Dutch werf (farmyard) typical of the architectural style popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. As such it is considered to be one of the best preserved farmyards in the Cape today.
The original buildings comprise a manor house that dates back to 1777, while the Koornhuis (for storing wheat), the old cellar, ornate fowl house, dovecote, the leaning bell tower and the historic gates, all date back closer to the 1750s. A disused cow shed was transformed into the current-day Babel restaurant. When new accommodation was added to create the Farm Hotel, every care was taken to ensure that the integrity of the original architecture and its sympathetic relationship with the landscape and climate, were reflected. And so the signature look at Babylonstoren remains whitewashed walls of thick stone or primitive brick, with ornate gables and thatched roofs but with contemporary glass boxes (to house a kitchen and dining area) seamlessly added onto the Cape Dutch cottages. The result is a modern yet authentic sensibility, that takes the farm firmly into the future.
Similarly, the garden at Babylonstoren looked to the past for inspiration, taking its cue from the Company’s Garden of Cape Town, which supplied passing ships to the Cape with food in the 1600s. All of the more than 300 varieties of plants in the garden are edible or have medicinal value, with everything from blood oranges to asparagus, mushrooms and persimmons supplying the farm’s two restaurants: Babel and the Greenhouse. As such the garden’s ever-changing tapestry and rich bounty of produce, informs every aspect of Babylonstoren.
Babylonstoren
Before 1652 |
Nomadic Khoisan inhabit the Drakenstein Valley. |
1687 |
Pieter van der Byl, resident of Stellenbosch and the future owner of Babylonstoren, serves as an ensign of the Stellenbosch Dragoons. |
Local and World History
1652 |
The Dutch East India Company establishes a refreshment station in Table Bay to provision their trading fleets. |
1664 |
Dutch painter Jan Vermeer exhibits his Girl with a Pearl Earring. |
1672 |
Year of disaster in Holland. |
1680 |
Mandated by the Dutch East India Company, Simon van der Stel, commander of the Cape, starts a programme of expansion. The first farms are granted in what is now Stellenbosch. |
1682 |
The French court and government of Louis XIV move to Versailles. |
1688 |
Huguenot refugees from France are settled in the Drakenstein Valley and along the Berg River. |
Babylonstoren
1692 |
Pieter van der Byl takes transfer of Babylonstoren. |
1695 |
Van der Byl serves as a lieutenant of a company of free burghers from Drakenstein. He is also elected as a heemraad. |
1702 |
Van der Byl marries Hester Terwinkel and serves as elder in the Drakenstein church. |
1706 |
Van der Byl is exiled to the Netherlands together with other leaders in the rebellion against the corrupt rule of Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel. Hester Terwinkel leads a public demonstration against Landdrost Johannes Starrenburg, one of the governor's favoured officials. |
1718 |
Van der Byl lays the foundation stone for a new church building at the foot of Paarl Mountain. |
Local and World History
1699 |
Governor Simon van der Stel retires and is succeeded by his son Willem Adriaan. |
1701 |
The Cape has roughly 130 hectares of vineyard planted, based on a planting of 5 000 vines per hectare. |
1706 |
Adam Tas, a Stellenbosch farmer, writes up a memorandum of complaint accusing the governor and his officials of illegal farming activities, trading, landownership and the establishment of wine, wheat and meat monopolies. Tas and his supporters are arrested. |
1707 |
The Dutch East India Company recalls Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel. |
1710 |
Poor economic conditions lead to a surplus in wheat and wine production. |
1713 |
A massive outbreak of smallpox at the Cape decimates the Khoisan population, and kills a quarter of European settlers. |
1716 |
The Drakenstein church near Babylonstoren is badly damaged during a winter storm and cannot be repaired. (It has since disappeared without a trace.) |
Babylonstoren
1723 |
Pieter van der Byl dies on his farm Vredenburgh in Stellenbosch. He also owns the farms Babylonstoren, Vijffontein and De Voorspoed. His widow Hester Terwinkel takes over the management of Babylonstoren. |
1735 |
Estimated date of Johannes Louw's appointment as manager of Babylonstoren. |
1743 |
Hester Terwinkel dies at the age of 70. |
Local and World History
1725 |
Peter the Great of Russia and Sir Isaac Newton, the celebrated mathematician, astronomer and scientist, die. |
1734 |
The Great Brak River is declared as the eastern boundary of the Cape. |
1742 |
Handel's Messiah premieres in Ireland. |
Babylonstoren
1744 |
Babylonstoren is sold at a public auction. The new owner is the very same Johannes Louw who managed the farm for Hester Terwinkel. |
1752 |
Babylonstoren produces 12 leaguers of wine. |
1755 |
By 1755 Louw increases his vine plantings to 30 000. |
1756 |
Louw retires as captain of a burgher cavalry corps due to failing health. |
1762 |
Louw owns several farms: Babylonstoren, Cuylenborg near Paarl, Dassenboschrivier and Voorsorgh at Goudini, and in the Hantoms Berg the farms Groote Vlakte and Drie Kuijlen. At this time the Babylonstoren homestead is described as T-shaped. Outbuildings on the werf (farmyard) accommodate a school, cellar, stable and storage room. |
1762 | An inventory of Louw's possessions includes 23 slaves, 5 riding horses, 8 draught horses, 91 oxen, a horse wagon and a brandy still. |
Local and World History
1747 |
Scottish physician James Lind discovers citrus fruit as a cure for scurvy. |
1748 |
Pompeii is rediscovered and excavated for the first time. |
1754 |
The population of the Cape includes Khoisan communities, 5 510 settlers and 6 279 slaves. |
1756 |
The beginning of The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) between England and France. At the Cape prices soar as French and British fleets anchor in Table Bay to re-provision ships. The Cape experiences a boom period during which farm buildings are renovated and expanded. |
1762 |
New towns are established in the north by Voortrekkers who left the Cape to escape British rule. |
Babylonstoren
1762 |
Petrus Johannes de Villiers buys Babylonstoren shortly after marrying his cousin, Susanna Maria de Villiers. The homestead's H-shape, as well as the bell tower, date from the De Villiers period. |
1780 |
Susanna passes away. Months later, De Villiers marries Johanna Barbara van Biljon. |
Local and World History
1767 |
A third outbreak of smallpox at the Cape. The Cape's eastern frontier now extends beyond the Gamtoos River into the land of the amaXhosa. Armed conflict between farmers and the amaXhosa ensues. |
1769 |
James Watt patents the condenser steam engine. |
1775 |
The American War of Independence against England (1775–1783) begins. |
1780 |
The eastern border of the Cape colony reaches the Great Fish River. War between The Netherlands and England (1780–1783) hastens the decline of the Dutch East India Company's commercial empire. |
1781 |
France and Britain are at war and The Netherlands sides with the French. A French garrison is quartered at the Cape to protect the colony from an English attack. Their three-year presence creates an economic boom and new amusements. |
Babylonstoren
1784 |
De Villiers also passes away and his widow, Johanna Barbara van Biljon, manages Babylonstoren. |
1787 |
Van Biljon marries Cornelis Ernestus Ponty, a medical doctor and cultured man. The farm's outbuildings include a winkel (smithy or carpentershop), a dairy room and a mill. The latter was probably a horse mill. Ponty becomes the new owner of Babylonstoren. |
Local and World History
1784 |
The phenomenon of black holes is first posited in a paper by John Michell in London. |
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Louis XVI of France signs a law according to which a handkerchief must be square. | |
1786 |
Shaka, the future king of the amaZulu, is born. |
Babylonstoren
1805 |
Cornelis Ernestus Ponty is thought to be responsible for the development of the forecourt, the false-perspective arms of the outbuildings, remodelling of the H-shaped house, and interior fittings such as the doors and fanlight. During this period Ponty increases the farm's vine plantings and also exports wine. He breeds horses as an additional source of income. |
1813 |
An additional grant of land is added to Babylonstoren. |
1814 |
Ponty dies and his widow Johanna Barbara van Biljon is once again in charge of managing the farm. A household inventory includes a ziekestoel (invalid's chair), suggesting that she was frail. |
Local and World History
1789 |
Merino sheep are imported, marking the start of the Cape's wool industry. The French Revolution starts when residents of Paris storm the Bastille. |
1790 |
The Second Frontier War (1790–1793) between the Boers and the amaXhosa breaks out. |
1791 |
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dies in Vienna at the age of 35. |
1795 |
The First British occupation of the Cape (1795–1803) begins. |
1798 |
The Dutch East India Company is dissolved. A runaway fire devastates large areas of Cape Town. |
1799 |
During the Third Frontier War (1799–1802), the Khoisan join forces with the amaXhosa against the Boers. |
1803 |
The Cape is under Batavian rule (1803–1806). Britain joins in the Napoleonic Wars. The war provides an economic boom for the Cape's wine farmers. |
1806 |
The second British Occupation of the Cape takes place. |
Babylonstoren
1819 |
An additional grant of land is added to Babylonstoren. |
1825 |
Johanna Barbara van Biljon owns 9 saddle horses, 80 breeding mares and 83 slaves. |
1831 |
Van Biljon dies in 1831 at the age of 92. In her will she specifies that her property can only be sold to her heirs. At the time of her death the homestead is described as H-shaped. Outbuildings include a cellar, carpenter's workshop, blacksmith's workshop, dairy room and stables. |
Local and World History
1815 |
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. |
1816 |
The stethoscope is invented. Gioachino Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premieres in Rome, Italy. |
1817 |
John MacAdam develops a process to build harder-wearing roads. |
1818 |
The British government at the Cape appropriates the amaXhosa's land between the Fish and Keiskamma Rivers during the Fifth Frontier War (1818–1819). |
1820 |
Five thousand British immigrants are settled along the Fish River to form a buffer against amaXhosa attacks. |
1821 |
Napoleon dies on the island of St Helena. |
1824 |
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven conducts his Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. |
1825 |
The Franschhoek Pass is completed – the first engineered pass in the Cape. |
1829 |
Wine farmers are hit by poor prices, taxes and high input costs. Many farms are heavily mortgaged due to rapid expansions during the boom period brought about by the Napoleonic Wars. But now British wine importers are once again able to import French wines. |
Babylonstoren
1832 |
Babylonstoren is sold at a private auction after Johanna Barbara van Biljon's death. It is bought by her stepdaughter's husband, Willem Adolph Marais. Marais in turn sells the farm to his brother-in-law, Jan Daniel de Villiers. The latter is married to Johanna Margaretha de Villiers, Marais's wife's sister. |
1836 |
De Villiers dies and the farm is left to his widow, Johanna Margaretha de Villiers. |
Local and World History
1834 |
Emancipation of slaves in the Cape colony: although legally free, slaves still need to serve a four-year apprenticeship. The slave population at the Cape is about 59 000. |
1836 |
Samuel Colt patents the revolver, a pistol that is able to fire several shots in succession. |
Babylonstoren
1837 |
Jan Christoffel Bosman, owner of the farm Mooiplaas in the Bottelary area on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, buys Babylonstoren. |
1839 |
Bosman dies at the age of 48. |
1841 | Unable to sell the farm in a depressed property market, Babylonstoren's curators subdivide the farm. G.L. Steyn buys a deduction called Klein Babylonstoren and Dirk Hamman becomes the new owner of the remainder of the farm. This latter portion includes the homestead and outbuildings. |
Local and World History
1837 |
John Deere, a blacksmith, invents the steel plough. The Children's Friend Society of London sends homeless children to the Cape to work on farms. |
1838 |
The formal end of slavery at the Cape. The Groot Trek takes place. Voortrekkers defeat the amaZulu at the Battle of Blood River. Andries Potgieter establishes Potchefstroom as the capital of the new Transvaal Republic. |
1840 | There is a shortage of labour on Cape farms. Farmers complain that they are unable to harvest their crops. New towns are established in the north by Voortrekkers who left the Cape to escape British rule. |
1840 | The very first postage stamp, the Penny Black, is issued in England. |
Babylonstoren
1841 |
Apart from being a farmer, Dirk Hamman is also involved in the transport business and is possibly a blacksmith by trade. At the time the farm produces 150 leaguers of wine and has a large variety of fruit trees including an orange orchard. |
1843 |
An inventory describes the familiar H-shaped house, outbuildings, cellar and workshop. Hamman also owns a number of wagons and carts, and notably a heavy-duty three-leaguer wagon. The latter hints at a transport business. |
1844 |
Dirk Hamman is declared insolvent and the farm is sold at a public auction to Johannes Wynand Louw. He begins to improve the land and irrigation systems. |
Local and World History
1842 |
The eastern region of the Cape colony experiences a severe drought. |
1843 |
British forces annex the Republic of Natalia. |
Babylonstoren
1857 |
A portion of Bloemendal is added to Babylonstoren. |
Local and World History
1845 |
Work starts on the hard road between Cape Town and Drakenstein. |
1849 |
The novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is published. |
1853 |
Bainskloof Pass outside Wellington is completed. The Levi Strauss & Co is founded in the United States and produces denim overalls. |
1854 |
The Helshoogte Pass between Stellenbosch and Groot Drakenstein is completed. The Boer Republic of the Orange Free State is established. |
1856 |
The Paarl Wine & Brandy Company is established. It is the largest producer of brandy at the time. Brandy is produced on a large scale in order to absorb the Cape's wine surplus. |
1859 |
An outbreak of powdery mildew causes huge losses in the Cape wine industry. Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is published. |
1863 |
The railway line between Cape Town and Wellington, passing through Stellenbosch and Paarl, is completed. |
1867 |
The beginning of the diamond rush when the first diamond is found in Hopefield. |
1869 | The Suez Canal opens |
Babylonstoren
1873 |
Johannes Wynand Louw dies. Babylonstoren produces 140 leaguers of wine and 5 leaguers of brandy. An inventory of Louw's possessions shows a farm that produces less wheat and more wine. Livestock includes sheep, goats, pigs and milk cows. His two sons, Adriaan Jacobus Louw and Marthinus Smuts Louw, take over the management of the farm after their father's death. They farm Babylonstoren jointly until 1878. |
Local and World History
1875 |
The Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners is formed in Paarl to promote the use of Afrikaans. The first Afrikaans-language newspaper, Afrikaanse Patriot, is printed the following year. |
1876 |
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone. The Bell Telephone Company follows two years later. |
Babylonstoren
1878 |
Adriaan Jacobus Louw becomes the sole owner of Babylonstoren. |
1879 |
Paarl’s first large wagon-building firm, P.B. de Ville & Co., is established. |
1906 |
Drakenstein Koöperatiewe Wynkelder is established in Simondium with Adriaan Jacobus Louw as its first chairman. Babylonstoren delivers its grapes to this cellar for processing and marketing. |
1912 |
Lots C and F Signal Hill are added to Babylonstoren. |
1913 |
Lot A Simon's Valley is added to Babylonstoren. |
1914 |
Lot B Simon's Valley is added to Babylonstoren. |
1919 |
Adriaan Jacobus Louw retires to his farm Hermitage in Plumstead. His son Dirk van Velden Louw buys the farm. During this period the homestead's façade is Victorianised, a tin roof is added and the gables are removed. A verandah and French doors are also added. |
Local and World History
1880 |
The first South African War (1880–1881) is won by the Boers. |
1882 |
Krakatoa erupts in the Dutch East Indies. |
1886 |
Phylloxera is discovered in a vineyard in Mowbray, Cape Town. Within four years 80 per cent of the Cape's vineyards would have to be destroyed. Many farmers turn to fruit farming. The first gold fields are proclaimed in the Witwatersrand. Karl Benz files a patent for his first automobile. |
1888 |
Paul Kruger is elected as president of the Transvaal Republic. |
1889 |
The Eiffel Tower is completed in Paris, France. |
1890 |
Vincent van Gogh commits suicide in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise, France. |
1892 |
In the Cape, improvements to refrigerated sea freight stimulates the production of deciduous fruit for export. |
1896 |
Cecil John Rhodes buys several farms in the Groot Drakenstein area and establishes Rhodes Fruit Farms, the largest producer of deciduous fruit. |
1899 |
The South African War (1899–1902) breaks out. Britain wins, but women and children dying in concentration camps leaves a legacy of bitterness. |
1903 |
The railway line is extended to Franschhoek with a station in Simondium near Babylonstoren. In Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers achieve the first controlled human flight. |
1908 |
The Ford Motor Company introduces mechanised automobile production, and produces the Model T Ford. |
1910 |
Four colonies of southern Africa unite to form the Union of South Africa. |
1911 |
Roald Amundson beats Robert Scott to the South Pole. The Incas' lost city of Machu Picchu is discovered. |
1912 |
The African National Congress is formed in Bloemfontein with John Dube as its first president. |
1914 |
The start of World War I (1914–1918). |
1918 |
The KWV (Koöperatiewe Wynbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika) is established to stabilise the wine industry. |
1919 |
The Impressionist painter Pierre-August Renoir dies at the age of 78. |
Babylonstoren
1931 |
The buildings of Babylonstoren are restored with the help of the Paarl architect Wynand Louw. The house regains its H-shape, and the end gables and central gable are added. |
1938 |
An aerial photograph of the farm shows a mixed farming operation with orchards, vineyards, wheat fields, pastures and virgin veld. |
1940s |
Visitors to Babylonstoren during World War II include King George and Queen Frederika of Greece. |
Local and World History
1922 |
Egyptologist Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt's Valley of Kings. |
1926 |
The Deciduous Fruit Exchange is formed to distribute and market the Cape's fruit exports to Europe. |
1929 |
On Black Friday on the New York Stock Exchange, share prices crash and a worldwide economic depression ensues that will last for almost a decade. |
1938 |
A symbolic ox wagon trek from Cape Town to Pretoria marks the centenary of the Groot Trek. |
1939 |
World War II (1939–1945) starts in Europe. |
1945 |
Atomic bombs are dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to close World War II. |
1947 |
India becomes independent. |
1948 |
The National Party wins the general election and begins to formalise apartheid. |
1949 |
Victory by Mao Zedong and the communist party in China. |
Babylonstoren
1951 |
Jan Christiaan Louw buys Babylonstoren from his father. |
1955 |
An aerial photograph of the farm shows a mixed farming operation with orchards, vineyards, wheat fields, pastures and virgin veld. |
1979 |
Babylonstoren breaks away from the Drakenstein Koöperatiewe Wynkelder and begins to deliver grapes to the Nederburg cellar in Paarl. |
1981 |
The farm is consolidated under a single title deed. |
Local and World History
1953 |
Edmund Hillary conquers Mount Everest. |
1957 |
Sputnik, the first artificial satellite in earth's orbit, is launched. |
1960 |
During the Sharpeville massacre, 69 people are killed and 180 are wounded in a protest against the apartheid government's pass laws. Albert Luthuli receives the Nobel Prize for Peace. |
1961 |
The ANC embarks on a campaign to sabotage public installations. The first human travels into space. The Apollo Space programme is started. |
1964 |
Nelson Mandela receives a life sentence for sabotage. |
1965 |
The Cultural Revolution begins in China. |
1967 |
Dr Chris Barnard performs the first successful human heart transplant. |
1969 |
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren become the first people to walk on the surface of the moon. |
1973 |
OPEC declares an oil embargo and the West experiences a fuel crisis. Petrol is rationed in South Africa. |
1975 |
The SABC transmits the first television broadcast in South Africa. |
1976 |
The Soweto riots mark the start of social unrest in South Africa. |
Babylonstoren
1981 |
Barry David Louw takes over the farm from his father. |
1998 |
Babylonstoren is transferred to a holding company, Babylonstoren Estates (Pty) Ltd. |
2004 |
David Louw dies. |
2007 |
Babylonstoren is transferred to its present owners. |
2009 | The gardeners start preparing the soil and do most of the planting for the formal garden. |
Local and World History
1983 |
HIV is discovered as well as its role in causing Aids. |
1989 |
The Berlin Wall is taken down. |
1990 |
Iraq invades Kuwait and the Gulf War (1990–1991) ensues. Nelson Mandela is freed from prison. |
1993 |
F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela jointly receive the Nobel Prize for Peace. |
1994 |
Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first democratically elected president. |
1997 |
Princess Diana dies in a car crash in Paris. |
1998 |
The Google internet search engine is launched. |
2001 |
Thousands die in an attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. The United States embarks on its war on terrorism. The first iPod is sold. |
2002 |
The euro is introduced in Europe. |
Babylonstoren
2010 |
Babylonstoren's restaurant and guest suites open. |
2011 |
While Babylonstoren has always been a grape producing farm, the first wines (Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Mourvèdre Rosé, Babel and Shiraz) made under the Babylonstoren label are released in 2011. |
2012 |
Opening of the Garden Spa. |
2012 |
Construction of the Greenhouse, a 26 metre long vintage conservatory to supplement the food offerings on the farm. |
2012 |
Construction of the Puff Adder – named so for its shape. This wooden structure meanders for 70 metres along a stream that emanates in the Simonsberg and slithers through the wild olives and blue gum trees in our gardens. |
2013 |
The hammam treatment in a specially built hammam is launched at the Garden Spa. |
2014 |
Release of our flagship red, a Bordeaux blend called Nebukadnesar, in November 2014. |
2014 | Our clivia tunnel designed by Patrice Taravella of Prieure d’ Orsan in France and engineered by Terry de Waal, receives the WE ARE AFRICA award for contemporary design. |
2015 | Birth of Trompie the donkey, first born son of Lulu and Caballero from Upington. Construction starts on the Farmhouse suites adjacent to our function venues. Release of Sprankel, Blanc de Blanc MCC. |
2016 | Official opening of the Farmhouse. |
Local and World History
2010 |
The World Cup soccer tournament is held in South Africa. |
2010 |
The self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, in protest against harassment and the confiscation of his wares, leads to protests in Tunisia and the beginnings of the Arab Spring. |
2010 |
The largest oil spill in the history of the United States occurs in the Gulf of Mexico. |
2010 |
The website Wikileaks releases thousands of classified US documents into the public domain. |
2010 |
Burmese opposition and chairperson for the national league for democracy in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, is released after 15 years of house arrest. |
2011 |
The independence of South Sudan adds further fuel to the Arab Spring with subsequent revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Syrian civil war begins. |
2011 |
World population reaches 7 billion. |
2011 |
Deaths of Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddaffi and Kim Jong II. |
2012 |
South African police open fire on workers at a platinum mine in Marikana, killing at least 34 people, and leaving 78 injured. |
2013 |
Father of the nation, Nelson Mandela dies, aged 95, as does former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. |
2013 |
US citizen Edward Snowden releases classified documents that reveal extensive surveillance by the US. |
2014 |
ISIS begins its offensive in northern Iraq. |
2014 |
The worst Ebola virus epidemic in living history begins in West Africa. |
2014 | The Rosetta spacecraft’s Philae probe becomes the first to successfully land on a comet. |