The construction of the original structure probably dates to 1683, but it was rebuilt to its present form, as a double-storey home with French Victorian features, in 1881 by Captain John Spence. It was purchased by Sir JB Robinson in 1891 who, following his retirement from the Witwatersrand gold mines, lived there until his death in 1927. In 1978 Count Natale Labia, grandson of JB Robinson, donated Hawthornden to the Cape Provincial Administration with the provison that he would be allowed to retain its usufruct, during his lifetime. It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 9 September 1983.
Place record
Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg

Hawthornden House, Wynberg Image source
- Coordinates
- -33.9464, 18.5017
- Updated
- 20 Jul 2026

Hawthornden House, Wynberg Image source
Location Map
Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg
South African History Online. (2011, July 14). Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/nso/ref/P-0065892
South African History Online (2011) 'Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg', South African History Online, 14 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/nso/ref/P-0065892 (Accessed: 22 July 2026).
South African History Online, Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg [website], https://sahistory.org.za/nso/ref/P-0065892, (accessed 22 July 2026).
"Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg." South African History Online, 14 July 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/nso/ref/P-0065892. Accessed 22 July 2026.
South African History Online. "Hawthornden-House, Herschell Walk, Wynberg." South African History Online. July 14, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/nso/ref/P-0065892.
Further reading
Cape Town the Segregated city
The Freedom struggle in Cape Town
Cape Town Timeline 1300-1997
Slave Resistance
Cape Youth Congress (CAYCO)
United Women’s Organisation (UWO)
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