House Baker: Sandhills
Muizenberg,
Western Cape
Architect: Sir Herbert BAKER
| House Baker: SandhillsMuizenberg, Architect: Sir Herbert BAKER |
 Beach Rd Elevation |
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Coordinates: |
Notes: One of the more modest houses in the very fine row of Edwardian homes in Beach Rd facing the sea, is the modest single-storey house that Baker designed for himself in 1899. It is built in plaster finish on a stone plinth round an atrium (now covered), and two simple 'Dutch' gables mark either end of the whitewashed facade. The roof is of cedar shingles. [Fransen 2004:155] The house in recent years accommodated The Joan St Leger Lindbergh Arts Foundation; it now forms part of The St Leger Retirement Hotel. Information supplied by William MARTINSON The attached drawing is Baker's initial design for Sandhills, with a pencil cross through the plan. As you will see, his first attempt was a traditional Baker Cape house with central hall and stoep - quite different from his final design in which he uses an atrium for the first time. (John Stewart, October 2022) |
References:
| Fransen, Hans. 2004. The old buildings of the Cape. A survey of extant architecture from before c1910 in the area of Cape Town - Calvinia - Colesberg - Uitenhage. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. pg 155 |
| Greig, Doreen. 1970. Herbert Baker in South Africa. Cape Town: PURNELL. pg 60-61 |
| Stewart, John. 2021. Sir Herbert Baker : architect to the British Empire. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.. pg 41, 42, 54, 62, 67, 72, 87, 124 |
 Contextual view from Beach Rd  Oblique view from Beach Rd  Oblique view from corner of Beach & Baker  Elevation onto Baker St  View of later garage from Baker St  Entrance stair with moulded balustrade wall  Detail of battered stone plinth forming entrance stair  SANDHILLS sign  Louvred ventilator in garage gable  Detail of oriel window  Detail of oriel window  Oriel window onto Baker Street  Detail of gable  Arched louvred ventilator in gable  Detail of gable moulding  Junction between roof and rear face of gable  Small scale triangular louvred ventilator  Chimney detail  Verandah column capital - now abutted by later glazed screen on both sides  Signboard for The St. Leger Retirement Hotel |
 Baker’s initial design for Sandhills |