1701

The Birth of Bellevue

On 5 October 1701, Bellevue was established as Houd den Mond (“keep your mouth shut”). The land, measuring just under 40 hectares, was granted by Cape governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel to blacksmith Christoffel Groenewald. It changed hands multiple times until Dirk Cloete Morkel purchased it on 6 December 1861. Bellevue was to remain in the Morkel family for over 150 years, before changing ownership to the Neethling Family.