Matjiesfontein is famous and basically the entire town is a based around the hotel, the Lord Milner hotel. This is one of the best Hotels in South Africa where you can still feel as if you are in the past.
History
The grand opening of Matjiesfontein was held in November 1880. Most of the guests were people with big names and politicians. In those years Matjiesfontein was visited by Randolph Churchill, Duke of Hamilton and many more famous and well known people of that age and time
The Hotel known as today as the Lord Milner Hotel was only built in 1899 by a guy called James Logan.
During the Anglo Boer war the Hotel was used a Hospital for the military and the pieces of the hotel that looks like a castle called the turret was used as a lookout post.
The number of troops that camped around the town was around 11000-13000.
In 1920 James Logan the founder of Matjiesfontein died and was buried in Matjiesfontein where the tomb can still be seen today.
The history of Matjiesfontein then continued in the 1960’s when a guy called David Rawdon who also established the Lanzerac Hotel in Stellenbosch purchased Matjiesfontein village.
David Rawdon re-opened the property in 1970 and renamed it The Lord Milner Hotel as it is still known today.
So if you ever drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town or otherwise be sure to stop at this hotel where you can still go to the room the old lady sat and watched for the injured people coming over the hill during the Anglo Boer war and where you can still sit in the bar where it feels like you are living 100 years in the past.
