Historic Ferry House

“Sarah- 26th June 1868”, written, or rather scratched, in that free flowing, ornate handwriting of the early Victorian era, on a window pane of a busy inn on the shores of the Knysna lagoon. That inn is today’s Ferry House.

Was it done by the innkeeper’s daughter to while away the time, awaiting the return of her sailor lover ? Maybe it was not even written by Sarah herself, but by a homesick mariner missing his English bride.

Ferry House was built between 1850 and 1854 from locally made bricks, yellowwood and thatch, later replaced by imported corrugated iron. The woodcutters axes were busy in the nearby forests felling the enormous centuries old yellowwood and stinkwood trees. There was good demand from Cape Town for these woods, stinkwood for the British navy and yellowwood for builders and furniture makers. The deep water anchorage, just 50 metres from Ferry House’s front door, was already a popular loading point for the sailing ships. A timber store was built by the owner.

By the 1860’s and 1870’s the area around Ferry House had become a hive of activity. A shop and pub were in full swing and a bed was available for sailors, travelers or late night revelers. A ferry to Knysna village on the other side of the lagoon, left from the landing nearby.

A short walk away, through the oak-shaded lanes , is the beautiful, miniature Norman-style Belvidere church completed in 1855 by Scottish stonemasons accommodated at Ferry House. Ferry House became a local landmark, visited by various prominent travelers and explorers, called at different times Ferry Inn, Brighton Hotel, Roberts Hotel and The Landing.

After the First World War the nearby forests were almost depleted of indigenous timber. Without the regular visits of sailors and timbermen the inn became quieter and quieter and in the 1930’s was turned into a private residence. Fortunately the original structures were little altered so that Ferry House today has retained the charm of a bygone age.