Nesbitt Castle

Nesbitt Castle
Location in Zimbabwe
Former names Holdengarde Castle
General information
Status Complete
Type Castle
Architectural style Neo-gothic
Town or city Bulawayo
Country Zimbabwe
Coordinates 20°11′13″S 28°37′23″E / 20.187°S 28.623°E / -20.187; 28.623Coordinates: 20°11′13″S 28°37′23″E / 20.187°S 28.623°E / -20.187; 28.623
Named for Theodore Holdengarde
Digby Nesbitt
Renovated August 1990
Owner Digby Nesbitt
Grounds 16 acres (0.065 km2)
Website
nesbittcastle.co.zw

Nesbitt Castle, formerly Holdengarde Castle, is a 20th-century neo-gothic castle near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It was built by business man Theodore Holdengarde in the 1920s.[1]

Construction

Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde (born Theodore Garde[2], 1878-1947[3][lower-alpha 1]) was a South African-born man of British descent who ran a successful construction business and was mayor of Bulawayo in 1938 and 1940.[2] Arriving in Southern Rhodesia between 1908 and 1910, he bought 100 acres of land outside Bulawayo and constructed the castle over a period of time.[4] Inspired by medieval romanticism, the owner worked on the castle at weekends with a small team, at times demolishing and rebuilding to follow his changing plans.[2][4]

After the death of Holdengarde in 1947, and his wife in 1967, the castle briefly fell into disrepair before being taken over by their son, Paul, an ex-WWII pilot, who renovated the premises.[4] However, failing health and old age meant that he was unable to maintain the castle and protect it from squatters, satanists and arsonists, who burnt down the reception in 1974.[2][1][4]

Current use

Soon before his death in 1988, Paul sold the castle to Chiredzi businessman Digby Nesbitt, who led renovation of the castle.[2][1][4] The building reopened in 1990 as a luxury hotel.[2][1][4] It has been closed as of February 2017 for further renovations following bad weather.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Another source gives his date of birth as 1877[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Murray, Paul; Fiennes, Ranulph. Zimbabwe. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 1784770167. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Nesbitt Castle, Zimbabwe - the full story - Expert Africa". www.expertafrica.com. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Journal of the Institute of Metals, Volume 73. The Institute. 1947. p. 876. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Miller, Dusty (6 July 2012). "A castle in the Bulawayo bush". The Zimbabwe Independent. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  5. ↑ @Kiyaz_Cool (3 February 2017). "Nesbitt Castle shuts down - The Chronicle". www.chronicle.co.zw. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
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