The year was 1997 and Louis van der Merwe, passionate about vintage cars, needed somewhere to house a collection – a museum was an inspired brainwave. After consulting with the National Museum in Pretoria, he commissioned landscape architect Johan Louw to design a museum complex at the busy intersection of the R40 and R538.
Ironically, it never became a museum complex. The location was so good, prospective tenants soon came knocking at his door. Sue Green was first with Willowbrook, followed by Equilibrium, both still happily tenants today. Then the first restaurant, Ten Green Bottles, and one of the first Barnyard Theatres in South Africa opened. Casterbridge was up and running.
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