Nesbitt Castle

Nesbitt Castle, formerly Holdengarde Castle, is a 20th-century neo-gothic castle near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It was built by business man Theodore Holdengarde in the 1920s.[1]

Nesbitt Castle
Location in Zimbabwe
Former namesHoldengarde Castle
General information
StatusComplete
TypeCastle
Architectural styleNeo-gothic
Town or cityBulawayo
CountryZimbabwe
Coordinates20.187°S 28.623°E / -20.187; 28.623
Named forTheodore Holdengarde
Digby Nesbitt
RenovatedAugust 1990
OwnerDigby Nesbitt
Grounds16 acres (0.065 km2)
Website
nesbittcastle.co.zw

Construction

Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde (born Theodore Garde,[2] 1878-1947[3][lower-alpha 1]) was a South African-born man of British descent who ran a successful construction business and was mayor of Bulawayo in 1938 and 1940.[2] Arriving in Southern Rhodesia between 1908 and 1910, he bought 100 acres of land outside Bulawayo and constructed the castle over a period of time.[4] Inspired by medieval romanticism, the owner worked on the castle at weekends with a small team, at times demolishing and rebuilding to follow his changing plans.[2][4]

After the death of Holdengarde in 1947, and his wife in 1967, the castle briefly fell into disrepair before being taken over by their son, Paul, an ex-WWII pilot, who renovated the premises.[4] However, failing health and old age meant that he was unable to maintain the castle and protect it from squatters, satanists and arsonists, who burnt down the reception in 1974.[2][1][4]

Current use

Soon before his death in 1988, Paul sold the castle to Chiredzi businessman Digby Nesbitt, who led renovation of the castle.[2][1][4] The building reopened in 1990 as a luxury hotel.[2][1][4] It has been closed as of February 2017 for further renovations following bad weather.[5]

Notes
  1. Another source gives his date of birth as 1877[2]

References
  1. Murray, Paul; Fiennes, Ranulph. Zimbabwe. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 1784770167. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. "Nesbitt Castle, Zimbabwe - the full story - Expert Africa". www.expertafrica.com. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. Journal of the Institute of Metals, Volume 73. The Institute. 1947. p. 876. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  4. Miller, Dusty (6 July 2012). "A castle in the Bulawayo bush". The Zimbabwe Independent. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  5. @Kiyaz_Cool (3 February 2017). "Nesbitt Castle shuts down - The Chronicle". www.chronicle.co.zw. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
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