Groot Constantia Manor House

The Manor House at Groot Constantia is the historic homestead of South Africa’s oldest wine farm, in the Constantia valley of Cape Town. The Cloete family bought this part of the estate in 1779 and had it remodelled, with the architect Louis Michel Thibault involved. After a fire in 1925 the house was restored. Iziko Museums now runs it, and it is the most rewarding part of a Groot Constantia visit for anyone who wants more than a tasting.

What to expect

The rooms are furnished with 18th and 19th century furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics and copperware. Look for the drawing room, fitted out in Rococo style with a run of mirrors, the Delftware, and a four-poster bed linked to the Afrikaans poet J.H. Hofmeyr.

The museum does not stop at furniture. An exhibition uses the slave registers of 1816 to 1834 to name the people enslaved on the estate, the work they did and where they came from, and covers a planned escape in 1712 involving some 23 people. A wine museum shows vessels for drinking and storing wine from antiquity to the early 1900s, and the Coach House holds old carriages. An orientation centre in the Jonkershuis complex sets out the archaeology and a timeline of the estate.

Practical details

The museum is on the Groot Constantia Estate, Constantia, Cape Town. It opens daily from 10am to 5pm and is closed on Christmas Day and Workers’ Day. Telephone +27 21 795 5140.

Good to know

Allow an hour for the house, the slavery exhibition and the cellar. The estate’s historic slave bell, cast in 1716, was stolen in September 2024, so do not expect to see it. Pair the visit with a tasting or lunch on the estate.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Iziko Museums of South Africa, Wikipedia.