La Rochelle, Montagu | If these walls could talk

Join me as a ‘fly on the wall’ as we step into the rich history of La Rochelle; a stately Victorian home in Montagu, where politicians, dignitaries, and high society once gathered. But also where everyday tales of love, loss, and legacy will weave their way into your imagination.

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‘The best preserved Victorian village in South Africa’. Not sure how credible this statement is, but the spirit of the saying introduces Montagu as a destination where beautiful historic architecture is on display. One of these examples is La Rochelle, a mulberry pink stately home - built circa the late 19th century - where families, dignitaries, politicians, sporting celebrities, and even strangers, lived, laughed, loved, played, worked and dined. 

Elaine and Anne-Marie Coetzee (the current curators of La Rochelle) - alongside the MHA (Montagu Heritage Association) - issued a garden party invite to step back in time and hear these walls talk.  

If you were a late 19th century/early 20th century fly on the wall, here are some of the historic tales, quirky titbits and fun anecdotes you would have been party to.

What follows is my takeaway from the morning’s talk and merely a teaser of timeline facts to ignite a curiosity for the fascinating stories of La Rochelle’s history. (The ‘whole truth’ is contained in this document).

Let’s start at the very beginning of this home’s ‘once upon a time’... 

‘The Great Trek’

Willem Adolf Joubert - affectionately known as ‘Oom Willempie’ - arrived in Montagu in 1875 with the ‘groot trek’ from Wellington. He purchased the piece of land La Rochelle stands on - for £250 - from Mr Willem Johannes Rootman. 

Research presumes a dwelling existed on this land at that time, but the current 8-gabled Victorian home - inspired by Melrose House in the Old Transvaal - was built by Willempie’s son, PJ, in the late 1890s. 

This was a place where high society mingled, where cigars and discussions were enjoyed among politicians and businessmen, where women entertained and embroidered, and where children played in the expansive gardens under the protective watch of a nanny or governess. 

Father & son 

Father and son were quite an entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with in town. Not only was Willempie the first Mayor of Montagu (1895 - 1903), he was also the owner of the Brandy Distillery Co Op (KWV building). At the age of 23, Willlempie’s son, PJ, joined his dad at his general dealer enterprise in Bath Street; W.H. Joubert & Son. In 1904 he bought the business from his dad, renaming it PJ General Mercantile. He also owned the winery and the mill. 

To conveniently access his daily place of work in Bath street, PJ bought the adjoining piece of land that backed onto his business premises. 

A story of love and loss

PJ fell in love with a local lass, Hester Jordaan, and married her. They had 8 children - 5 sons and 3 daughters - who were tutored by a governess in the upstairs schoolroom, accessed by a wrought iron spiral staircase. This  immediately conjures up images of Victorian England. 

Outside of his business interests, PJ was an avid gardener, designing the various ‘rooms’ of La Rochelle's garden as well as a croquet court and an elaborate rose garden where the Joubert family spent many happy hours.  

But sadness also wove its way into the family's lives. In 1931, PJ’s daughter, Lettie, died followed in 1932 by both PJ and his son Pierre, and 3 years later his son, Willa. Willa’s wife and her 5 daughters then moved in with the widow Joubert. 

A doctor in the house

In 1943, La Rochelle was sold to Dr. Edwin Coetzee (who had trained at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland) and his wife Edna. To meet the medical and curative needs of the community, he built a surgery onto the side of the house. 

When he wasn't seeing patients - of which children were his favourites - he spent his time fishing and Bisley shooting for which he gained Springbok colours in both disciplines. 

Strange but true, he was the doctor ‘on call’ for the circus when it came to Ashton, and soon became a personal friend of Stanley Boswell, a fellow fisherman.

After Edna died, Edwin fell in love with Kosie Botha, who moved into La Rochelle and inherited the home when he died in 1979. From all accounts she was an difficult, eccentric character, sporting a pointed ‘Liewe Heksie’ hat, and building a room to store all her eclectic collectible ‘treasures ‘ and objets d’art. 

VIPs, politicians & celebrities

Throughout its lifetime, La Rochelle’s walls witnessed political receptions, glamorous events, garden parties, intimate suppers, and high teas. As a hub for distinguished guests, dignitaries and historical heavyweights, the guest lineup included notable figures such as Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, Field-Marshall Jan Smuts and General Louis Botha. 

During Dr Coetzee’s tenure at La Rochelle, he often hosted the golfing legend, Bobby Locke, who had married a Montagu girl. Considered the greatest golfer of his generation, Bobby’s annual visits saw Edwin teaming up with him as his golf partner in exhibition matches.

And it was here - on the corner of Long and Du Toit Streets - one Saturday morning in November 2024, that Montagu residents were added to the guest list and on the receiving end of La Rochelle’s hospitality. 

Mother & daughter

In 2016, Albert Coetzee bought La Rochelle. This is where his mother and sister, Elaine and Anne-Marie, reside and take care of this beautiful heritage home and garden. Elaine has taken the baton from green-fingered PJ, and invested her time and love in the garden. If you walk or drive past La Rochelle, you're likely to see her contentedly pottering about in her garden.

On that summer's day in November, we became the trusted recipients of La Rochelle’s stories - past and present - and given free rein to wander in the beautifully landscaped garden where secret moments were just begging to be discovered. 

Cucumber sandwiches may have been missing, but there were scones (with jam and cream), English breakfast tea (served in porcelain tea cups), and celebratory Mimosas served under the giant Norfolk Pine (which is the closest thing to a skyscraper we have in Montagu).

A house becomes a storyteller

By ‘hearing these walls talk’, we connected with those who once lived here, weaving their tales into our communal memory and inviting us to imagine ourselves in their shoes, at their table, and part of their conversations. 

In wandering around La Rochelle’s magical garden, one could almost hear PJ’s children playing hide and seek, climbing trees, laughing, and chasing each other about. 

It’s a strange thing to think that the memories of a house can have so much power to transport one back in time. 

Today, La Rochelle is a private residence belonging to Albert Coetzee and his family. But in one sense, the loves and lives of those who inhabited this space belong to Montagu, making La Rochelle a living heritage home. We are the guardians of stories past; never disconnected from events that played out before our time.  

Thanks to the commitment of the Coetzee family, the MHA, and volunteer archivists, this grand Victorian home stands as a testament to preservation and passion, celebrated as part of our town's historical landscape. 

These ongoing efforts ensure that heritage homes like La Rochelle are protected from neglect and that their stories are not forgotten.

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Written by Leanne Johnson