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The Westcliff's History
By 1994, when Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically-elected president, James B Sherwood, Chairman and founder of Orient-Express Hotels, had noted the changing zeitgeist in the country, and participating in the renewed energy of the region became an enticing prospect. James B Sherwood believed a summer house in Johannesburg would provide a convenient stop between the other Orient-Express properties in Southern Africa, namely the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town and the three safari camps in Botswana.
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The Westcliff's Origins
It was in the years between the discovery of gold in 1886 and the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War in 1899, when fabulous fortunes were made on the Rand, that the new rich, already dubbed the “Upper Crust of Johanesburg” by The Star, were clamouring to build grand homes in adjacent Parktown, then an exclusive gated suburb. Throughout this time, the ridge of Orange Grove quartzite on which Westcliff is built remained largely untouched – the exception being “Glenshiel” one of Johannesburg’s most famous historic homes.
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Heritage & Art
An elegant tribute to a glorious past. From the outset, The Westcliff hotel has paid tribute to those who helped shape the character of the distinctive suburb from which it takes its name.
The various buildings comprising the hotel, and certain rooms are named after some of the old homes in the area, as well as those who designed, built and lived in them.
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Heritage Homes
The earthy, extravagant taste of the early-day mining magnates and the dramatic views afforded by the ridge led to a concentration of power and money that remains.
The use of local stone, together with architectural features such as Sir Herbert Baker’s signature “battered foundations” detail (which gives the appearance of houses “growing” out of the rocky ridge of Orange Grove quartzite), give Westcliff an enviable air of distinction.
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