Penny Farthing is a charming country house with luxurious en-suite bedrooms and is well known for its warm hospitality and excellent meals.
Penny Farthing is situated on a 3 000 hectare cattle and game farm in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields and is in close proximity to Rorke’s Drift, Isandlwana and Blood River. The house is built on the original foundations of the colonial home founded by the Vermaak family in 1847. It is set in a large garden with a fish pond and swimming pool and is graced with an abundant birdlife.
Foy’s late wife, Marinella was a descendant of Dougald McPhail, a founder of the town of Dundee, and one of the few survivors of the battle of Isandlwana. Foy is a registered tour guide, with a passion for history, and conducts regular tours of the battlefields.
Accommodation:
All five bedrooms have French doors which lead into the garden and each is tastefully furnished with antique furniture and choice fabric to enhance the ambience. All beds are fitted with electric blankets for those cold winter’s nights and each room has an overhead electric fan to ease the summer heat.
An authentic fort is converted to an interesting en-suite bedroom. The comfortable lounge has a big fireplace, and wood fires in winter allow for very cozy conversations, while a small bar supplies the refreshments after a grueling day in the African sun.
A flight of semi-circular stairs leads one into an impressive 10mx4m dining room, furnished with a 16-seater walnut table and carved oak chairs. A Victorian sideboards and server complement this enormous room. A wide passage leads off the dining room and homes a Victorian bookcase filled with a collection of Africana books for guest to enjoy.
