By HLONIPHANI NONGAUZA and LIKHO FUNANI
After 31 years as a premier accommodation and dining venue, Makhanda’s Cock House and Norden’s Restaurant will close on 14 September.
Manager Yvonne Gretton said all 12 staff members, including herself, would be retrenched from the business.
A local buyer has bought the property, but not the business or the furniture and fittings. There is a possibility the new owner will outsource the restaurant to an independent operator and that the rooms and flats might be rented to students or other tenants.
The Cock House was opened by the husband-and-wife team, Peter and Belinda Tudge, in June 1991. After Peter died in 2003, Belinda continued to run the business until November 2005, when Johannesburg-based businessman Richard Anker-Simmons bought it.
Gretton said that most of the furniture, pictures and paintings would be returned to Anker-Simmons in Johanessburg.
The 4 000 square metre property dates back to 1826, when the original plot was granted to Benjamin Norden, a merchant from London.
Between 1971 and 1981, South African author Andre Brink lived in the house, responsible for much of the initial restoration work. He wrote four of his books, including A Dry White Season and Rumours of Rain in the house.
Famous guests over the years include Nelson Mandela and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney.
Gretton said she was happy that former owner Anker-Simmons had been able to sell the property. Over the years, Gretton noted that the area surrounding The Cock House had become a bustling commercial district, which unfortunately harmed guests’ perceptions of the venue.
Covid-19 lockdown took its toll on the business. In particular, the alcohol ban dissuaded guests from visiting the restaurant.
The accommodation side of the business has picked up dramatically in the last few months since the lifting of lockdown restrictions. But, the decision to close had already been made.
