Nesbitt Castle, formerly Holdengarde Castle, is a 20th-century neo-gothic castle near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It was built by businessman Theodore Holdengarde in the 1920s.[1]
Nesbitt Castle | |
---|---|
Location in Zimbabwe | |
Former names | Holdengarde Castle |
General information | |
Status | Completed |
Type | Castle |
Architectural style | Neo-gothic |
Town or city | Bulawayo |
Country | Zimbabwe |
Coordinates | 20°11′14″S 28°37′15″E / 20.18722°S 28.62083°E |
Named for | Theodore Holdengarde Digby Nesbitt |
Renovated | August 1990 |
Owner | Digby Nesbitt |
Grounds | 16 acres (0.065 km2) |
Website | |
nesbittcastle Nesbitt Castle on Facebook |
Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde (born Theodore Garde,[2] 1878–1947[3][a]) was a South African-born man of British descent who ran a successful construction business and was mayor of Bulawayo in 1938 and 1940.[2] Arriving in Southern Rhodesia between 1908 and 1910, he bought 100 acres of land outside Bulawayo and constructed the castle over a period of time.[4] Inspired by medieval romanticism, the owner worked on the castle at weekends with a small team, at times demolishing and rebuilding to follow his changing plans.[2][4]
After the death of Holdengarde in 1947, and his wife in 1967, the castle briefly fell into disrepair before being taken over by their son, Paul, an ex-WWII pilot, who renovated the premises.[4] However, failing health and old age meant that he was unable to maintain the castle and protect it from squatters and arsonists, who burnt down the reception in 1974.[2][1][4]
Soon before his death in 1988, Paul sold the castle to Chiredzi businessman Digby Nesbitt, who led renovation of the castle.[2][1][4] The building reopened in 1990 as a luxury hotel.[2][1][4] It has been closed as of February 2017 for further renovations following bad weather.[5]
The hotel was used as a filming location for the 1992 film Power of One. Directed and edited by John G. Avildsen, the film stars Stephen Dorff, John Gielgud, Morgan Freeman, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Daniel Craig.