SOME LATER HISTORY
The Botha's Hill Trading Store was established
in about 1920 (alongside the new road
past the station), and a butchery and
post office a little further up. Opposite
the Trading Store was Bob Emmett's Wayside
Store. In 1930 Clement Stott, who owned
large tracts of land here, established
the village: Botha's Hill Estates. His
own mansion was on the northern edge
of the hill (next to Warwickshire Cresc),
with vast views over the Valley of a
Thousand Hills. He reputedly used to
have hunting parties into the valley
below. He donated land on the hilltop
for the new Kearsney College, which
moved from Stanger in 1931. His son,
Dr Halley Stott, founded the Valley
Trust which provided health-care and
training in sustainable agriculture
to residents of the tribal land in the
nearby KwaNyuswa valley. By now, people
were starting to build homes in the
little village. Clement Stott had plans
for a hotel in Ridge Road and for a
golf course on what had been Potgieter's
farm in the Assagay valley. A Country
Club was planned where Rob Roy Hotel
now stands, and the hotel opened in
1935. Rob Roy burned to the ground in
December 1962 and was rebuilt by Rolf
Paeper, a well-known present resident
of Botha's Hill.
In the late 1930's a small zoo and
tea garden was opened by Mr and Mrs
Burnand on the property just to the
left of the present Kearsney gates,
and they had a snake pit, lions, buck,
and monkeys. The zoo was closed in
the early 40's following public complaints,
but the tea garden continued for a
while in the hands of Mr & Mrs
Fred Dawes. The Botha's Hill Water
Company had been formed in the early
30's and water was pumped from the
Umhlatuzana River in Potgieter's valley
up to tanks at Kearsney College and
to the concrete reservoir in Ridge
Road. Regional water came in the early
1940's. A bit later another store,
Roberts' Foodliner, opened just above
the present garage and was run by
Stan Roberts and Hersie Jones, later
moving and expanding to the entrance
of Botha Rd where the Fainting Goat
Centre now lies.
Probably the most outstanding feature
of Botha's Hill is the incredible
vista of the Valley of a Thousand
Hills, the myriad of sand-stone-capped
hills incised by streams and rivulets
in the granite basin, with the Umgeni
River and Inanda Dam in the northern
distance. No wonder thousands of tourists
flock annually to this scenic spot
to absorb its charm.
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