About Us

History or archaeology buffs will be hard pressed to find a more captivating location to stay at than Linwood Guest Farm. From what is known, Linwood Guest Farm was bought form it original owner in 1916 by an Irishman, Mr Cosnett. With only the original core farmhouse and barn in place – the farm and buildings were extended over the next several decades by Mr Cosnett and a Basotho mason known only as Limakatso. All the sandstone used in the construction was blasted from the surrounding cliffs, and the wooden beams used in the construction were taken from the surrounding poplar forest.

Several important discoveries also made Linwood farm hugely important in archaeological circles.

The first was the rare discovery of an intact dinosaur skeleton near an area known as “Mushroom Rock” between Clarens and Linwood Guest Farm. It was –and possibly still is- on prominent display in the Pretoria museum.

Bushman cave paintings were also found at numerous locations in and around the Linwood Farm. Interest in these paintings spread so far that it drew the famous French archaeologist Abbe Breuil and surrealist painter Walter Battiss to the area.

The next discovery was made by the farm owner’s son, Dr John Cosnett, who found large deposits of early and late stone-age tools and implements at Linwood in the 1950’s. He carried his find back to university in a paper bag and so sparked a major archaeological survey of the whole area now immortalised in the book “The Geology and Archaeology of the Little Caledon River Valley” by Prof van Riet Lowe of Wits University in 1955.

Many of these sights, cave-paintings and other rarities can still be viewed today.

Why not come touch a piece of history for yourself and book your next holiday at Linwood Guest Farm today.