Local lodge building more than a century old
Additionally, a penny dating back to 1936 was found in one of the walls that was later added to the house as an extension.
Terry and André Heyink has been running the popular East Woods Lodge in New State Areas since 2001, but the building itself dates back more than a hundred years.
It has been part of an ever-changing town.
Interested in the history of the building, Terry sent a request to the metro to date the building in 2002.
After careful inspection, senior cultural officer Micha Birch reported back, “The construction date of your house situated on 2 Danie Road, New State Areas, Springs, dates back to between 1905 and 1915.”
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According to Terry, the team was able to estimate the age of the house by investigating the bricks used in the fireplaces as well as the style of one of the windows.
Additionally, a penny dating back to 1936 was found in one of the walls that was later added to the house as an extension.
The house was owned by the Johannesburg Consolidated Investments, controlled by British entrepreneur Barney Barnato.
The first notable occupant of the house was the acting mine assistant underground manager William Edward Niland Kelly who moved into the house in the 1930s while the New State Areas mines were still operational.
Over the years, various mine managers lived in the house until the mine ceased production in the 1950s.
By 1998, the mine’s surface facilities had been completely demolished and only the foundations remained, including headframes and ore bin foundations.
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Terry and André bought the property in 1997 for R180 000.
The couple has refurbished and renovated the house many times to keep it in standing order, but the original wood is still in the walls and ceilings.
“I immediately knew I wanted it from the first time I saw it, it just looked so lovely to me,” said Terry.
The lodge initially started as a small coffee shop, which quickly grew in popularity.
In 2001, after years of hard work, Terry and André expanded the coffee shop into a bed-and-breakfast.
Over the years, three extra buildings were added to accommodate as many visitors as possible.
The property also boasts a pool and a small pond where visitors can catch and release fish.
Also, the lodge is situated opposite an airfield. A platform has been erected on the lodge property where visitors can watch the planes take off and land.
Terry and André are very proud of what they have achieved and have received thousands of guests from all corners of the globe.
Their motto is ‘You arrive as a guest but leave as a friend.’
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