It’s a home fit for royalty – literally.
On a visit to SA back in 1947, the British royal family – comprising of King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth and two daughters Princess Elizabeth plus Princess Margaret – visited the Beacon Bay farm now owned by Pacific Pool’s Mandy and Mike Godfrey.
The farm, called Hluhluwe and situated in Quenera Drive, was once home to the famous Glenlyn Riding School used by East London's most affluent families.
Dressed in jodphurs and yellow shirts on March 4 1947, the Daily Dispatch reported that the princesses rode through the farm all the way to the banks of the Quenera River.
They even took the time to plant some trees on the expansive nine-hectare property, all of which remain a permanent fixture in the lush yard.
The garden, once a barren, overgrown grazing land, has been completely transformed into a tranquil and picturesque space. Replacing the thorn bushes are a selection of various plants which include primroses, daylilies, Louisiana irises and roses – which give the garden a burst of colour.
Wooden benches placed throughout provide visitors with an opportunity to relax and bond with nature.
Once a cattle farm, Mandy said they transitioned over the years to vegetable farming.
Animal lovers at heart, the couple also have donkeys, an ostrich, horses, chickens, ducks and seven dogs.
“The house is really the oldest feature of this farm. It was built in 1938,” she said.
“It was completely horrendous when we moved in, in 1980. Had I not grown up on a farm back home, I probably would have run away.
“There were no gutters, no fences and there was no water. I played hockey at Old Boy's and I remember Mike and I used to go and shower there.”
According to Mandy, the previous owners had kept chickens in the hallway, with an oldfashioned grocery cupboard adjacent to it.
The coop was removed, but its wire mesh remains a feature on the new door which was installed.
The old-fashioned windows were replaced with bigger, more modern fittings to allow more light in. Three rooms of the threebedroom house were renovated – the oldfashioned porch, which is now an office, the bathroom, which was so big it was converted into two, plus the feed room which is now a fully-equipped bar area.
An extra lounge was fitted, overlooking the gardens, which Mandy lovingly refers to as a “time out room”.
Wooden flooring is used throughout the house, a perfect accompaniment to the selection of antique furniture all carefully placed in the different rooms.
Earthy hues are used, from the curtains to the couches, which give the house a homely look.
Wooden cupboards make up the storage space in the kitchen, with meals cooked on a large, modern gas stove. The kitchen has a scullery attached.
Leading out from large glass windows in the lounge is an entertainment area with a pool, dating back to 1984. An outside entrance into the lounge has a door from when the house was built.
Paintings adorn the walls, with the home's old-fashioned flat irons used as doorstops.
“We tried to keep the house as original as possible, so we haven’t changed much. Most of the furniture is the stuff we moved in with, which we’ve re-upholstered over the years.
“We’re not fancy people. We wanted a home, not a house. The furniture throughout the house is homely yet functional.”..