Few Durbanites know that we have a castle complete with tower and battlements in Durban, that is still being managed by the original family who built it in 1882.
Tucked away in the heart of the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve, surrounded by giant Yellowwood trees, lies the majestic castle known as Coedmore Castle. Coedmore Castle was built by Dering Stainbank who arrived in Durban after a three-month sea journey from England. While Stainbank was looking around for a place to call his home, he met an elderly Zulu man. The man took him to a site on the south bank of the Umhlatuzana River, an area regularly used by Shaka’s riding party on their way to Pondoland. As soon as Stainbank laid his eyes on the untouched land, he knew that it was going to be where he was going to build his perfect home.
Stainbank was not going to build an ordinary home on this pristine piece of land. With the help of two Scottish stone masons from Aberdeen, he began to build his home from local stone quarried on the premises. It took three years to complete the grandeur Coedmore Castle.
Four years later Stainbank married Ethel Lyne from Pietermaritzburg and the couple had seven children. Kenneth, his third son, inherited the castle after his two elder brothers were killed in World War I, and his daughter Elizabeth Keith and her family still live on the property which, apart from the installation of electricity and running water, is unchanged.
The castle’s rooms still have intricate steel-pressed ceilings, beautiful carved panelling and a circular iron staircase leading to the tower room above the battlements. Its original furnishings and household contents are still intact and in regular use, giving a fascinating look into life as it was 130 years ago. Its other priceless heritage is that many of the rooms contain sculptures by the well-known artist Mary Stainbank.
Coedmore Castle is open to the public and tours are conducted by appointment for groups of 10 or more at a cost of R45 per person, which includes tea and scones served in the Grand Dining Room.
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Coedmore Castle
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Coedmore Castle