Visitors to Port Alfred who are looking for something really differene by way of accommodation can spend time in one of Richmond House's  delightful cottages. The cottages for hire, are self-catering with an option of breakfast on request. They are beautifully kitted out as our photographs show, and exude comfort as well as charm. Tariff is  R850pp per night..

The main house is off limits, but the grounds are superb. There are 3 cottages - each one far from the other in the gardens with lovely views. There is also the little museum there, which is fascinating. Here to whet the appetite is a little of the history of this fabulous old house.

Established Circa 1840, the nearly 30 000 square meter Richmond House property, formerly known as ‘The Castle,’ hangs tenaciously on the east face of Wesley Hill. It is an impressive estate, where yesteryear still lingers like an untouchable perfume fragrance, so familiar, yet so titillating. Situated in dense indigenous virgin bush, the historical view site property stands guard over the Kowie River mouth, where it all started with the arrival of the intrepid 1820 settlers.

Among them was the Honourable William Cock, a wealthy Cornish printer and man of great ability and strength of character, who brought the industrial revolution to the Eastern Cape in the 19th century.

Sue and Neville Gordon, who own the property, have restored and rebuilt the main house and the cottages in the grounds. These exquisite cottages are open to the public as guest facilities.  With attention to detail that defies one's imagination, the décor and settings are truly magical. From the Le Grande Entrance, with the post-box and ancient VOC cannons, to the matchless stone pathways and stairways, the ambience is surreal. Of course, the view from the property is breathtaking and the indigenous trees and birds invite one to just sit in the garden and think.

Sue has done extensive research on Cock, his wife Elizabeth and their 11 children, eight of whom reached adulthood. Many of the Cock descendants still live in the Eastern Cape region and were instrumental in much of the academic history, and myth-swapping of Richmond House.

“It became extremely personal. The more I researched Cock, his activities and the people around him, the deeper I became involved in this wonderful history. I found myself at times thinking about Elizabeth Cock watering her roses with the water leftover from baptisms that took place in the house, the three children she lost - and wondering if William would have approved of this, or that – for example, what music he would have enjoyed in his evenings here at home.”

The name Cock’s Castle has its own interesting origin. “Cock served on the Cape Legislative Council between 1847-1853 and 1856-1868. All the Cape Governors in their time held meetings or were entertained at Richmond House, and on the last occasion when Sir Bartle Frere visited, he jokingly coined the name ‘Cock’s Castle’ which endured until recently,” says Sue.

The Gordon’s converted the 1943 crenellated staff quarters into the Richmond House Museum and Music Room, where, the history of this magnificent property, and its colourful owners, is displayed. It is in this music room that Sue has introduced elegant musical performances, high teas, and cultured afternoons of that era, back to the estate.

The Gordon’s have managed to salvage for the Museum conversion, many remaining artefacts, including both original teak fireplaces, the original Cross and Bible front door. Also, a number of light fittings, a kitchen dresser and cast iron garage pillars from the 1920’s/30’s. There are timber floorboards, the original foundation masonry, and the original millstone from Cock’s steam mill on Kowie west bank. Victorian-Edwardian porcelain, glass bottles, fragments, and the family bible of Cornelius Cock, William’s second surviving son.

Richmond House was established during times when buildings were built to last. The foundations were over three metres deep to access stable earth below the sand, while some of the walls were 60cm thick. The roof was flat, probably with tarred canvas on boarding. It may have been strong enough to hold small cannon. Trapdoors allowed access to both roof and cellar. The ceiling was yellow wood, hidden from below by boarding panels while the windows, mainly sash windows, had inside shutters and finely moulded detail.

“In 1999 most of the old floors were a dark wood, but the passage was still yellow wood. Cock reputedly imported oak for all the woodwork, but in 1999 there was no evidence of this,” Sue said. Both a beacon and flagstaff were erected around Cock’s time. The flagstaff base is still on site, as are the underground water tanks.