Featherbed Co. remembers….. and rebuilds
- Maryna Cotton
- Jun 25, 2023
- 2 min read
History will refer to the fires of June 2017 as the “The Knysna Fires”. The magnitude of the destruction and loss left in its wake is incalculable.
A number of natural forces conspired to fuel the run-away fires, which within a few hours became near impossible to contain and suppress. The fires raged in the wake of the worst storm the Western and Southern Cape experienced in 30 years. The resultant strong berg wind conditions and dried-out vegetation after the long drought in the area, combined with
high temperatures created the perfect conditions for a firestorm. As gale-force winds fanned the flames, it became clear that prevailing conditions would not only make firefighting difficult but also that the local firefighting resources would not be enough. The fires raged for 12 days, before being declared “over”. The aftermath: the tragic loss of seven lives, the largest number of buildings destroyed by fire ever in South Africa (close to 1200) and about 20 000 hectares of vegetation burnt, much of it natural forest, fynbos and alien invasive plant species.
Read more about the fires here https://www.knysnamuseums.co.za/pages/knysna-fires-2017/
Featherbed Co. was not spared from the destruction. 95% of the reserve had burnt, and most of the vegetation in the reserve was reduced to ashes, with only a few small portions of indigenous forest left standing (the forest on the mountainside above Needle Point and Coffin Bay, and the forest above the site where our restaurant had stood), our restaurant and most of the visitor facilities were also destroyed.
Featherbed had to take stock and rebuild what was lost but decided to come back bigger than ever before. We decided to pay homage to what once was and repurposed the some of kitchen items which were spared the carnage. The chandeliers were designed and manufactured by Adele Webster.
We also salvaged timber from some of the burnt indigenous trees to build the tables for our new function venue.
Our small tribute to what had been lost serves as a reminder of our commitment to not only the restoration of the natural habitat at Featherbed but also to what can be done to prevent that horror from happening again.
Conservation of the natural fauna and flora of the Knysna estuary and the Knysna Heads remain our commitment to the generations to come.
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