Castles of "South Africa" ERASMUS CASTLE vs CASTLE KYALAMI

ERASMUS CASTLE

Erasmus Castle (Erasmuskasteel in Afrikaans), also known as "Die Spookhuis" or "The Haunted House", is an imposing mansion situated on a hill in the E...

Erasmus Castle (Erasmuskasteel in Afrikaans), also known as "Die Spookhuis" or "The Haunted House", is an imposing mansion situated on a hill in the Erasmuskloof suburb of Pretoria, South Africa. Originally owned by George Dean Erasmus, it is a unique landmark in the city and rumours of ghosts and supernatural encounters in and around the residence are plentiful. Though the house and its grounds are privately owned by Armscor, public tours or cultural gatherings at the premises can be arranged. Paranormal activity is claimed to include lit windows in the uninhabited mansion, encounters with Dean Erasmus, and hearing moans at night. Construction began in 1892 and it was completed in 1903 and owned by George Dean Erasmus. Early in the 20th century, the house had however fallen into disrepair and ruin. In the late 1960s, the Erasmus heirs were compelled to sell the farm "Garsfontein" to the Pretoria Municipality as new highways were being developed east of the city. These plans fell through and in 1975 Armscor acquired the property for the development of their new headquarters. In 1975 the board instructed Billy Nel, assisted by Dr Elise Labuschagne, Hannes Meiring and Anton Janson to restore the mansion to its original form. The two original farmhouses on the farm were moved closer to the mansion in order to clear space for the construction of Armscor's new headquarters. They were demolished stone by stone and then carefully re-erected closer to the castle, the vandalised Erasmus family cemetery was moved into the old cattle kraal area. In 1989 the construction firm A J Konstruksie (Edms) Bpk were contracted to make urgent restorations.

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CASTLE KYALAMI

Castle Kyalami (also referred to as Kyalami Castle) is a castle located in Kyalami in the province of Gauteng, north of Johannesburg, South Africa. Fo...

Castle Kyalami (also referred to as Kyalami Castle) is a castle located in Kyalami in the province of Gauteng, north of Johannesburg, South Africa. Formerly a tourist attraction and hotel, the castle was purchased by the Church of Scientology in March 2008. Castle Kyalami was built in 1992 by Greek millionaire and architect Demos Dinopoulos. Located in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Kyalami, the castle is set on a 22 acres (8.9 ha) estate. The 64,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) castle has an Arthurian style, and contains a spa, 24 suites, a luxury hotel, a restaurant, a conference centre and its own helipad. Dinopoulos lived in this expansive building for only nine years before putting it on auction. It was bought by Planet Hotels and opened as a 4-star hotel in 2001. Dinopoulos originally planned the castle to provide for his extended family, so that when his two daughters and son got married, they would live with their families in the castle. The original castle consisted of the main house, three self-contained apartments, garages, yacht workshop and horse stables, stretching over several acres. The main house has now been converted into 11 en-suite rooms, and the self-contained apartments now consist of 13 en-suite rooms. Room 11 was originally built for Dinopoulos' son, with a private entrance and a spiral staircase to the kitchen, because, in his father's words, "boys get hungry at night". The hotel's restaurant, The Bastion, was originally a sunken lounge with a full-size billiards table. The lounge was levelled and the room now accommodates 120 guests. What was originally the entertainment room of the Dinopoulos family has been converted into the wine cellar of the hotel. It now accommodates 20 people as an intimate dinner venue, with its own private entrance. The original sauna and jacuzzi in a turret have remained, alongside a swimming pool and clay tennis court. The 22-horse stables have been converted into a 500-person conference centre, with a state-of-the-art kitchen attached. The original garage and yacht workshop have been converted into The Bailey conference facility. Dinopoulos actually completed his yacht in the workshop, and sailed to the south of Spain, where he remains still, because his children grew up and left home.

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