Photos credit: Gareth Griffiths
It is refreshing to find a hospitality establishment that retains its heritage form, but continues its journey while being upgraded and repurposed to meet the needs of Cape Town’s burgeoning tourism sector. Based on a recent visit there, the 4-star Winchester has been transformed into something fiercely competitive in its sector. This is backed by the two phases of refurbishment with the first phase starting during the pandemic era, and the second one during 2023.
In its enduring architectural form as a 1920s era Cape Dutch-style icon, it is rivaled only by the views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean viewed from the establishment.
Located directly across from the green space between the world-famous Sea Point Promenade (‘The Prom’) and Beach Road, it is not hard to understand the reason why the visionary people who founded the building made the decision to build it for residential reasons. Originally built in 1922, the hotel retains its original Cape-Dutch style gables while undergoing numerous renovations while maintaining its history and charisma. There is a more recent and palpable design focus on providing charming facilities and warm welcoming service.
According to the local ratepayers association, Winchester Mansions in its early origins as an apartment block shared front row space along Beach Road with a row of residential establishments that directly faced the sea. They were designed and built mostly during the architectural extravagance of the Victorian era. When the then-block of apartments was purchased by Mrs. Harvey in 1958, it was converted into a hotel that was run by Francon Investments (Pty) Ltd, owned by the late Mrs. Harvey’s family, the Wainfords. It was named the Winchester Manor.
The Winchester’s rich heritage is reflected in its iconic Cape Dutch architecture. It earns its moniker of a boutique hotel by offering seventy-six rooms in total, 48 of which are loft or classic rooms. The others are suites including one high-end offering.
An exciting feature of this grand hotel is that it does not have that ‘old fashioned’ look but remains modern, vibrant and exciting to visitors. Not only where guests, but also visitors experience a warm welcome and amazing hospitality within, the Shoreditch restaurant and Harveys bar, offering amazing views across to the Prom and then to the sea, which have literally become one of the Sea Point/Atlantic seabord’s most Instagrammable sunset places.
It is appropriate that these two establishments were comprehensively refurbished, along with the bespoke Sanctuary Spa, during the second and most recent fitout since the hotel operations were taken over by V&A Waterfront-based Newmark Hotels.
As photojournalist, I visited the establishment twice in recent months. My first visit was for the official launch and taking into service of the phase 2 facilities. More recently, on invitation by the hotel, I stayed at the hotel to check how the reimagined hospitality facilities were being accepted by visitors. The experience was memorable, the guests and visitors that encountered there, delighted. The strong takeouts from this experience were:
- Amazing facilities, anchored in heritage but also vibrant and modern – interested mixes of materials, colours and interior decor that meld with the overall architecture.
- A remarkable display of service by highly motivated staff. One experience in particular was the basic overview of the then-and-now – history given by a service person in the restaurant.
- The South African themed food options, cooked on live coals in the “old fashioned way”, again staying true to the heritage.
One of the other phase 2 facilities not mentioned already, but truly a pleasure to the eye, is the Arcadia suite, which, along with the ground floor spa, originate in the heritage building, Arcadia, home of the Wainford family, which was recently annexed to hotel operations. This suite was designed to be used as one entity, or two smaller suites. Comfort and luxury are modeled on a clear concept of “live there”, even having bookcases and other home comforts.
The retention of the unaltered elevated Victorian ceilings is exceptional and adds to an incredible experience, offset by modern facilities.
One cannot but mention the sunken courtyard within a central atrium used as an outdoor extension of the restaurant, with a fountain and a highly stylish black and white tiled floor which contrasts with the purple blaze from flowering bougainvillea creepers that grow up the fringes of the atrium and cluster around the classic arches on the balconies.
For design details of the adaptive reuse of this building, do see the article in the print edition of To Build magazine by following the link: https://issuu.com/rovesa/docs/to_build_march_2024/46
