The Story Beneath Oude Werf

Many guests don’t realise what sits beneath the restaurant floor at Oude Werf. They arrive from Church Street or wander in from their rooms while breakfast is being served beneath the vines, coffee cups are set down, and plans are made for wine tastings, gallery visits, and long lunches. With so much on offer beyond these walls, it’s easy to overlook what lies beneath them.

But a few metres below, hidden from view, lie the foundations of the first church built on this site more than three centuries ago. The story of Oude Werf begins there.

Oude Werf has always been a place to “kuier”*

Before there were guest rooms, courtyards, or a restaurant, people came here for the same reason they do today: to gather, connect and share stories. In 1686, a modest church was established on this ground at the request of Governor Simon van der Stel (the first official Governor of the Cape Colony and founder of Stellenbosch) and Reverend Johannes Overneij. Built from local stone and clay, with a thatched roof and simple bell tower, it stood at the centre of a young settlement finding its footing.

Go back over three hundred years, and you would have seen farmers arriving by wagon, families congregating for worship, and news and goods exchanged before the walk home. 

*Although it has no direct English equivalent, the Afrikaans word “kuier” describes the simple act of spending time together in good company. 

The church no longer stands, but its foundations remain

Today, you can descend a stairway below the kitchen and see part of the original cobbled structure preserved beneath the hotel. Nearby are deconsecrated graves from the churchyard that once surrounded the building. They are part of the site’s story, visible reminders that long before Oude Werf became a hotel, this was already a place woven into the life of the community.

Places that remain important collect stories

In 1710, a fire swept through Stellenbosch. Driven by a fierce south-easterly wind, it destroyed the original church along with much of the settlement. The congregation moved to a new site, and for a time the old churchyard stood empty. Eventually, the land was deconsecrated and divided into plots. Many stories might have ended there, but this one continued.

In 1802, the Wium family opened an inn on the site. The church had disappeared, yet the instinct to gather on this patch of ground remained. Tragically, fire returned the following year as a second blaze swept through Stellenbosch, destroying more than forty buildings, including the inn itself. 

The town rebuilt, and Oude Werf was rebuilt with it, cementing its place as the oldest running hotel in South Africa. Over the decades that followed, the building changed shape again and again. Cape Dutch influences gave way to Georgian details; new additions appeared, others disappeared, and each generation left its mark.

Traces of history are still visible today

In the main lounge, charred timber from a later fire remains preserved within the building. Elsewhere, original doors, ceilings, and architecture sit comfortably alongside contemporary conveniences. The hotel is neither frozen in time nor disconnected from it; instead, it carries the accumulated marks of the times it has lived through.

When Oude Werf underwent restoration, historic fabric was carefully repaired and revealed, while new elements were introduced to support the needs of a modern hotel. Traditional building materials and techniques were retained where possible, while newer additions were designed to sit comfortably alongside the original structure. Rather than preserving a single moment in time, Oude Werf has continued to evolve while respecting the history that came before it.

The original footprint of the historic buildings remains, with characterful architectural elements repurposed and woven into new spaces. 

A site that has never stopped evolving

The details of the experience have changed since the 1600s, but people still arrive here looking for connection. Today, guests arrive for graduations, weekends away, wine-country holidays and repeat visits to a town they have grown fond of. They gather around tables, celebrate milestones, share stories from the day and make plans for tomorrow. 

Centuries have passed, but the story of this site continues much as it always has: bringing people together.