CAPE DUTCH
GABLED
HOUSE
ARCHITECTURE
A style from the Cape Colony of 17th century
OCTOBER 2020
All images on this page a courtesy of ARCHITECTCAPEDUTCH. This most elegant style does not rely on its size for grandeur. The barn shaped buildings are only 6m wide and about 20m long. The central portion has a gable with a window in it, to allow light into the loft space, but the gable evolved into more of an artistic device over the years and even something of a status symbol. Also refer to RESIDENTIAL-ARCHITECTS for other popular South African house styles.
A TIMELESS ARCHITECTURE STYLE
The Cape Dutch style, in its modest proportions, its elegant symmetry, it's congruent vocabulary of materials, and its unique blend of conformity with originality is a memorable style that has endured a century of dereliction to come out having stood the test of time, and is now a popular revival style on an international basis. SEE CAPTOWNSPLENDOUR FOR OTHER SIGHTSEEING ATTRACTIONS IN THE THE FAIREST CAPE.
the Gable
The curved and uniquely crafted face of the building.
Left: Boschendal manor house. Right: Neethlingshof manor house. See ARCHITECTCAPETOWN for more examples of manor houses on farms with gables on them. The central gable can be regarded as the hallmark of the style, although there are one or two Cape Dutch houses that do not actually have a gable but have all the other features of the style such as the sliding-sash windows. The gable had curved edges, and was decorated with pillars urns and garlands.
AN ELEGANT FACADE
There are a number of variations on how the front facade is laid out, but the front door is almost always a the centre, and is flanked on either side be either two, three, or four windows, which are often sliding-sash type, but not always and often have shutters, but also not always. The only rule about the windows really is that they are of small cottage panes. Go to ARCHITECTCOMPANIESCAPETOWN for more photos of this style house.