A grand old lady
SANDTON – Norscot Manor is a stunning example of the opulent lives of Joburg's rich and famous in the early 20th century.
Norscot Manor, located north of Sandton is a throwback to the opulent lives of Johannesburg’s rich and powerful in the early 20th century.
Norscot Manor was built in 1936 by the Eriksen family and was ideally suited for lavish entertaining, as well as being the quiet, secluded home the Eriksen family wanted. The family had been living in a stone house designed by Sir Herbert Baker in Westcliff.
It was in 1935 when the Eriksens visited some farms in the north of Johannesburg that Ethel Eriksen decided there and then that the family was to build their home on what was then the original Witkoppen farm. She had been captivated by the glorious open view to the north, with the land sloping away towards the Magaliesburg mountains, and by the superb sunset.
The house derived its name from the family’s ties to Scotland and Norway – the ‘nor’ was for Norway and the ‘scot’ for Scotland. Ethel and her husband Ernst lived there with their two children. The family’s phenomenal wealth came largely from their success in the motor industry.
Norscot Manor remained the home of the Eriksen family until 1982 and now it belongs to the Sandton municipality which has developed it as a community centre to serve the northern suburbs. Norscot received it’s blue plaque status last year, cementing it as a site of historical importance.
Sarah Welham of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation shared with the Sandton Chronicle a brief history of the house and the Eriksen family who called it home for nearly 50 years.
“This building is another example of a family home built with no consideration of expense, but once the family moved on, the house was too big to sell in a market where people were downscaling. Thanks to the Sandton town council, it was bought as a recreation centre and the house, with part of its once beautiful garden, were saved,” said Welham.
“When Mr Eriksen lived here, he reared cattle, sheep and pigs and Mrs Eriksen grew award-winning chrysanthemums. Their daughter, Joyce, took a diploma in agriculture and farmed the property for a while. The son, Ernst, followed in his father’s footsteps and ran the motor company, Eriksen Ford.”
Details: For more information on Norscot Manor visit the heritage portal website theheritageportal.co.za/article/norscot-manor-built-scale-few-could-afford-today
