History
Welgegund has a proud history which we will always do our very best to preserve and honour, keeping the past always a part of our present.
Established in 1777, Welgegund has a historic pedigree. The first title deed for this beautiful farm was registered in favour of a Roelof van der Merwe in 1781 and constituted 3 morgen of land in what was then known as the the Wagenmaker’s Vallei, a reference to the wagon building industry that had developed in this valley. This 3 morgen farm was originally called Welgegunt, a Dutch word meaning ‘well bestowed’.A further 57 morgen and 12 sq rood, surrounding the original 3 morgen farm, were acquired by Jan Coenrad Roussouw in 1838. In 1884, these two farms, as well as another ‘1/16th share of 1394 morgen and 464 sq rood’ were consolidated and bought by Francois Jacobus Malan.
In 1897 Cecil John Rhodes bought all three tracts of land, by now called Welgegund, from Francois Jacobus Malan for the sum of three thousand five hundred Pounds Sterling, £3500, and became its best known owner to date. Rhodes is attributed with having planted several of the older oak trees on Welgegund and some of them are estimated to be around 150 years old.