Oct
2014
When you hear the name Sir Herbert Baker, arches and mortar come to mind. Sir Herbert Baker is synonymous with a lot of South Africa's architecture and historical buildings.
Sir Herbert Baker was an architect of world stature, having deigned buildings in India, Australia, Kenya, Belgium and France to name but a few.
His design style and inspiration can be seen in many of the upmarket and best designed homes in South Africa.
He drew inspiration from cathedrals in the Anglo Saxon and Renaissance buildings in Kent.
He started a company in South Africa which was named Herbert Baker, Kendall and Morris.
His work stands as memorials of design and can be seen from Cape Town to Parktown. Some of the buildings and memorials he has designed and built include The Union Buildings in Pretoria, Grootte Schuur Hospital (which was remodelled after a request from Cecil John Rhodes), Stonehouse, Park Town, in Johannesburg (Designed and built in 1902), The St Boniface Church in Germiston, Grey College in Grahamstown, Pretoria Station, St Andrews School for Girls in Johannesburg, Rhodes Cottage Boschendal in Cape Town, Wynberg Boys High in Cape Town and St Georges Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town.
Sir Herbert Baker was contracted by many of the wealthy mine magnates to design and build their homes and a lot of his residential designs are still seen in Parktown in Johannesburg. It could be that this fact has been driving property values in Parktown over the decades, making Parktown such a highly sought after suburb among the affluent.
Architecture is and can be timeless and is also a good indication of what the trends are in the property market. Timeless designs like the Sir Herbert Baker designs are still an inspiration for many architects and connoisseurs across South Africa.
Architecture is as much a part of a home’s identity as the people who live in the home.
