Calderwood Hall

Calderwood Hall Calderwood Hall Guest House & wedding venue, nestled in the foothills of the Underberg (R617) Our inviting Jardine Function Centre seats 250 guests comfortably.
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From nuptials to returning friends of the bridal couple, from baptisms to family holidays enjoying local outdoor events, to celebrating major anniversaries and birthdays, Calderwood Hall Guest House is your country home, welcoming you back, time and again, to make precious memories. The venue allows for personal styles to be reflected in the reception. The pretty and tranquil thatched stained glas

s chapel can seat 150 guests. It is multidenominational and we welcome weddings from all cultural groups. For those who’ve always dreamed of having an outdoor ceremony, there is a forest alongside the dam. We also have the jasmine-covered arbour in our front garden which allows for guests to be seated on the grassed lawn with the Manor House behind them. Our accommodation has been graded as AA Highly Recommended and we can sleep up to 82 guests on the estate. Our Manor House has five oversized luxury en-suite bedrooms, all exquisitely themed for guests to enjoy the unique character of each. Our Guest House is surrounded by beautiful gardens with a gazebo and ornamental fountain, dams and forests. Set in the gardens are a further 23 en-suite garden rooms. These may be more suitable for larger groups or family getaways, being located a little further from the Manor.

Green Walls and the Curse of the Stained-Glass Dome! (Part 2)Our little Chapel was charming. It was also, technically sp...
07/09/2026

Green Walls and the Curse of the Stained-Glass Dome! (Part 2)

Our little Chapel was charming. It was also, technically speaking, a building. Just.
It was a bit like a wedding cake made by a committee. The original entrance section was the Jardines’ old creamery, built in 1903 at the same time as the Manor. The Chapel could probably accommodate about 20 people at a push. Twenty-one if someone was prepared to sit on the priest! Then, at some stage, somebody had the brilliant idea of adding another section. And what did they put on the roof? A Perspex dome! Now, I don’t know what they were thinking. Perhaps they were going for “Victorian conservatory”. Perhaps they were going for “greenhouse”. But what we got was “Wedding Chapel in a Tropical Rainforest.” Because that dome leaked. It didn’t just leak. It leaked with enthusiasm. When it rained, you didn’t need a wedding photographer. You needed a plumber. And the walls? Oh, the walls were magnificent. They were a lovely shade of… Algae! Before every wedding we would wash them down. Scrub them. Clean them. Pray over them. And if that didn’t work, we painted them. Quickly! The whole process was basically: “Right, wedding at two o’clock… walls green… paint!” And then we would stand there looking at the wall hoping desperately that the paint would dry before the bride arrived.

But the dome had one final trick. Inside were little pieces of stained glass stuck with glue on the inside. Beautiful, apparently. Until they started falling off. Usually at precisely the wrong moment. You’d be standing there having a quiet moment in the Chapel and… PING! Another piece of stained glass hits the floor (or your head!) It was less “Wedding Chapel” and more “Bingo — dodge the glass!” Something had to be done.

So, the first project was to re-thatch the Chapel. And while we were at it, we removed the Perspex dome. Which meant we could finally join that section properly to the main Chapel.

And then… Hallelujah! The walls stopped being green! That, ladies and gentlemen, was progress.

(Look forward to the next part of this story from Wade....)
To see more of this and other 21 Memory stories from Wade visit https://www.calderwood.co.za/blog

Green Walls and the Curse of the Stained-Glass Dome! (Part 1)So, our Rooms and Gardens were now looking rather smart and...
03/09/2026

Green Walls and the Curse of the Stained-Glass Dome! (Part 1)

So, our Rooms and Gardens were now looking rather smart and presentable and, slowly but surely, people started taking notice of Calderwood Hall. We had officially become “that new venue in town.” Wedding bookings started coming in. Business was picking up.

And I had one very important lesson drummed into me by my dear friend Esther Howard Browne, whom I’ve known since “Year Dot”. Esther taught me something that has stuck with me for 44 years:
“It’s not Television — it’s Tell-A-Woman!”

And boy, was she right! You can spend thousands on advertising, glossy brochures, clever marketing and all sorts of fancy nonsense……but let one woman go home after a wedding and tell her friends:
“Oh my WORD, you have to see this place!”

And suddenly you’ve got another twenty enquiries. That has always been my mantra:
Treat your clients as if they are the only clients you have. Show them respect. Do an amazing job. And you’ll have a customer and friend for life. And, as a bonus, you’ll be the talk of town at the next Tea Party! Which, frankly, is where most businesses are either made……or destroyed!

Business was brisk in those early days and, as the boodle started flowing in, every cent went straight back into Calderwood. It was basically a bottomless pit. Money came in……and disappeared! We weren’t spending it on fancy cars or overseas holidays. No. We were buying things that needed fixing. And there was no shortage of those! The next thing that needed attention was the Chapel and Function Venue.

(Look forward to the next part of this story from Wade....)

To see more of this and other 21 Memory stories from Wade visit https://www.calderwood.co.za/blog

It was so lovely to meet and have tea with Cheryl Dyson, the great granddaughter of Joseph and Emily Jardine, who also g...
02/09/2026

It was so lovely to meet and have tea with Cheryl Dyson, the great granddaughter of Joseph and Emily Jardine, who also gifted us with these beautiful framed photos of her granny and grandpa .

Cheryl also dropped off sketches of Calderwood done in 1977 by Harold Bailey!

The wedding photo is of Cheryl’s mum (Unis Baudin) celebration.

So as we understand it:
Great Granddaughter :Cheryl Dyson
Her mother: Unis Baudin
Her mother : Beatrice Phipson
Her mother : Edith Jardine

We are so grateful to have another piece of the family history to hand, they are such treasures! Thank you so much Cheryl.

Our “Induna” Boetie all dressed up for Honey Harvesting today ! Learning from the pros at Bushveld Bees who maintain our...
31/08/2026

Our “Induna” Boetie all dressed up for Honey Harvesting today ! Learning from the pros at Bushveld Bees who maintain our Beehives !

Vaaljapies, Kudus and Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 4)Fortunately, we had our two Marketing Queens. These ladies were also ...
24/08/2026

Vaaljapies, Kudus and Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 4)

Fortunately, we had our two Marketing Queens. These ladies were also working for Falcon Equipment at the time. And let me tell you… They could negotiate. They somehow managed to secure us an absolutely fantastic deal on a brand-new Rollermower. The price before they negotiated? Eye-watering. The price afterwards? Still eye-watering…but at least we could see again. Finally, we had the perfect combination.

Vaaljapie and her Rollermower.

And what a team they've turned out to be. Twenty-one years later, that old tractor is STILL working. Every week she can be seen dragging the Rollermower around the property. Or pulling the trailer. Or collecting garden refuse. She just keeps going. She is quite possibly the hardest-working member of the entire organisation. And she has never once asked for: A performance review. A bonus. Annual leave. Or a company cell phone. In fact, if I'm honest…she's probably due for a promotion. And somewhere along the way, something strange happened to me.

The city boy began learning about machinery. After twenty-one years, I can now confidently tell the difference between: A chainsaw…and a brush cutter. I know what a Rollermower does. I understand that tractors have gears. And I've learned one of the most important rules of country living: Never let Aaron near anything with a gearbox. I have even become quite knowledgeable about mechanical equipment.

Of course…I don't repair any of it. That's where I draw the line. My mechanical procedure is very simple. Something stops working. I walk over. I stare at it. I kick a tyre. I suck my teeth. I shake my head knowingly. And then I say: “Hmmmm… that's not supposed to do that.” And immediately call someone who knows what they're doing.

Because after all these years, I've realised that being a successful business owner isn’t necessarily about knowing how everything works. Sometimes it's about knowing…WHO to phone when it doesn't. So from a city boy who once thought horsepower was something you ordered at a restaurant… to a man who now knows his Vaaljapie from his Kudu… I think I've done pretty well. Although if you ever see me driving a tractor…please don't get in front of me. And if Aaron is driving it…don't get in the same province.

Until our next story…

Keep gardening!

(look forward to the next story from Wade)

Our first “Flanders” Poppy just opened today ! So beautiful !
24/08/2026

Our first “Flanders” Poppy just opened today ! So beautiful !

Vaaljapies, Kudus and Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 3)Now the Kudu was a hand-operated, walk-behind, industrial-sized lawnm...
20/08/2026

Vaaljapies, Kudus and Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 3)

Now the Kudu was a hand-operated, walk-behind, industrial-sized lawnmower. This thing was enormous. And it worked beautifully. For a while. Until we discovered another little problem. Aaron and gears. They weren't compatible. We eventually had to disengage the higher gears so Aaron could only use the Kudu in first gear. Because if that machine got into third…it didn't mow the lawn. It took Aaron for a walk. At speed. You’d see this huge industrial mower tearing across the grass……and behind it, hanging on for dear life…was Aaron. I swear there were moments when he wasn't operating the machine. He was merely being transported by it. At this stage I began to wonder whether we were running a wedding venue… or training people for the Dakar Rally.

Then came our next investment. A very tired, rather clapped-out, approximately 1948 Massey Ferguson tractor. Affectionately known as…
Vaaljapie.

Now Vaaljapie wasn't exactly a thing of beauty. She had reached that age where you don't ask how old she is. You just say: “She's got a lot of experience.” We picked her up for a song. Unfortunately, the song turned out to have several expensive verses. She needed some serious R&R. A complete overhaul. A respray. Basically, she needed everything except a new birth certificate. Eventually she came back looking magnificent. She was like an old lady who had spent six months at a very expensive cosmetic clinic. And I thought: “Now we're sorted!”

Except… We had a beautiful tractor… and nothing to mow with. Which, as agricultural strategies go, is slightly like buying a Ferrari and forgetting to buy petrol.

(look forward to the next part of this story from Wade)

Mains for the win ! A hearty plate of chicken breast stuffed with spinach , Brie and cranberries with a balsamic and hon...
20/08/2026

Mains for the win ! A hearty plate of chicken breast stuffed with spinach , Brie and cranberries with a balsamic and honey jus with green bean bundles , roast baby potatoes and gems filled with cheesy sweet corn !

Pavlova for supper with Silver Leaf “nogal” !
20/08/2026

Pavlova for supper with Silver Leaf “nogal” !

Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 2)Fast forward to our new life at the wedding venue. The place was beginning to resemble an a...
17/08/2026

Formula 1 Ride-Ons!! (Part 2)

Fast forward to our new life at the wedding venue. The place was beginning to resemble an actual wedding venue. Then summer arrived. And when summer arrived, it didn't knock politely on the door. It kicked the bloody door down. The grass started growing at such a rate that you could almost hear it at night. “Shhhhhh… listen.” “What? “ah “That’s the grass.” The area around the dam and the fields opposite the garden suites looked like something from a Wild West movie. All we needed was Clint Eastwood riding over the hill. Except instead of a six-shooter…he'd have needed a brush cutter.

My mission was clear. Every hectare had to be mowed. Every blade of grass had to know who was boss. So, naturally, we bought a ride-on lawnmower. And I thought: “Fantastic! This is going to make life so easy. “Then Aaron arrived. Our Chief “Induna”. Aaron took one look at that ride-on and I swear I saw something change in his eyes. He wasn't looking at a lawnmower. He was looking at a Formula 1 racing car. He climbed aboard. Started the engine. Put it into top gear. And disappeared. WHOOSH! That man didn't mow the lawn. He raced the lawn. You'd see him flying past at a speed that would have had Lewis Hamilton asking: “Who the hell is that?” The grass was being cut at such a rate that I thought: “Brilliant!” Look at the efficiency!” Look at the productivity!” “Look at the—”

And then, a few weeks later, Aaron came to me. Very serious. “Boss…” Whenever someone starts with “Boss” like that, you know you're in trouble. “I don't know what is wrong with the mower.” “What’s wrong?” “She is not cutting well anymore.” So we investigated. And eventually we discovered the problem. The mower had been fitted with several large, expensive cutting blades. Had been. Past tense. Because after Aaron had driven over rocks, branches, uneven ground and enough dongas to qualify for the Paris-Dakar Rally…there were no blades left. Nothing. Gone. Vanished. The ride-on had effectively been converted from a lawnmower into…a very expensive little tractor with absolutely no reason to exist.

So…We retired the Aarons Formula 1 car.And in came our next piece of equipment.

(look forward to the next part of this story from Wade)

Address

R617
Boston

Telephone

+27339971926

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