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MULTI-FACETED CAST-STONE PAVING INTEGRATES WITH FIVE-STAR FRANSCHHOEK ESTATE

July 30, 2021 678 678

Franschhoek’s prestigious wine and premium five-star hospitality retreat, Leeu Estates, has been beautifully enhanced with a comprehensive range of cast-stone paving blocks, manufactured by the Western Cape’s leading cast-stone manufacturer, Revelstone.

Situated in the Franschhoek Valley just a few minutes away from the picturesque village which bears the same name, Leeu Estates comprises a 23-room country house, a meticulously refurbished 19th-century manor house, guest cottages, historic farm buildings, and a boutique winery, set among 68 hectares of vineyards, landscaped gardens, oak trees, and fynbos. Abutted by the Dassenberg Mountain to the south and the Franschhoek River to the north, this superb private hideaway offers top-drawer comfort, fine dining, and platinum service.

The Jura Special tile.

Established by international entrepreneur, Analjit (BAS) Singh, the estate forms part of the Leeu Collection which includes other properties in Franschhoek and Linthwaite House, a 36-room country retreat overlooking Lake Windermere in England’s Lake District, and Villa Querce in Florence, Italy, a luxury hotel and pristine gardens due to open in 2022.

Singh began his quest for a property in the Franschhoek Valley in 2010, following a visit to the FIFA World Cup competition. He knew that he had found the right place the minute he set foot on Klein Dassenberg, a 40-hectare farm on the slopes of the Dassenberg Mountain, and in September 2012 he bought the farm. The following year he bought two adjacent farms, Dieu Donné and Von Ortloff, and amalgamated them into Klein Dassenberg, now known as Leeu Estates, so-called because Singh is the Sanskrit word for lion, which translates as leeu in Afrikaans.

The Jura Straight Edge paver.

Leeu Collection made a conscious decision to partner with the best in wine-making, artistic endeavor, and fine dining in order to create exceptional experiences for its guests. Thus Leeu Estates has partnered with South Africa’s leading contemporary art gallery, Everard Read to create a contemporary gallery on the estate and a sculpture park among its extensive gardens. And the owners of the world-renowned La Colombe restaurant in Constantia have opened La Petite Colombe on the estate.

Partially owned by Singh, the Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines (M&LFW) team has established a wine studio on the estate, and its knowledgeable staff guide guests through the finer nuances of premium handcrafted wines. The award-winning Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines are produced in Riebeek-Kasteel in the Swartland wine region, about 80km north of Franschhoek. Now that the vines have been established, wines will be produced on the estate, but as house wines rather than premium products.

The Ravine Bullnose tile and the Ravine tile.

Landscape designer, Franchesca Watson, says Leeu Estate has been established along the principles of Vastu Shastra, a traditional system of Indian architecture which seeks to place the various components of a property in harmonious relation to each other.

“For example, where possible, the vineyards run hard up against the buildings so that guests connect with the purpose of the historical farm, and the gardens themselves form lush green spaces between the vines.

“The gardens showcase a remarkable collection of art. This takes the form of monolithic sculptures as well as smaller pieces that add detail or a special touch. Analjit started acquiring art for the gardens very early on, sometimes with a particular position in mind, and sometimes buying the pieces and storing them until a perfect stage for them had been found in the gardens. He has also commissioned art pieces around which whole gardens were built as the perfect complementary environment.

The Kent Random Edge paver.

“For example, Bokkie Garden was entirely designed around a large central sculpture. Conversely, I commissioned some of the art pieces for a specific space, working closely with the artist to achieve a particular vision. With care and over time, the gardens have become art in themselves in which the fusion of landscape and works of art is complete.”

There are many paved spaces interspersed among estate’s extensive grounds and Revelstone supplied 16 different types of cast-stone pavers. These were installed between October 2019 and December 2020 for the estate roads, parking areas, patios, pathways, and staircases. They were carefully chosen to form a natural extension of the gardens, their colour tones forming the perfect foil for the plants, vines, and sculpted art.

The Jura Straight paver.

Paving contractor, Derek Anderson of Highland Paving, says this is his most prestigious and diverse paving project to date which was undertaken.

“Mr. Singh and his colleagues were very far-sighted in their choice of paving, paying particular attention to their installation, with the result that the estate is now an outstanding example of what can be achieved with cast-stone paving. Some of the roads, parking areas, and pathways are high-trafficked areas and the subbase compositions were designed accordingly,” said Anderson.

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