Garden Route Unearthed

Huge flavour and relaxing atmosphere found at Knysna’s smallest pub.

If you are looking for a delicious pub meal, then one of the best places to visit is The Bell Tavern, located in the Belvidere Estate just outside Knysna on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon.

Although The Bell Tavern is Knysna’s smallest pub, (with seating for only about 36 people inside), it serves pub meals with the biggest flavours and has plenty of outdoor tables available.

Bryan and I visited one sunny Friday in June. There were a few other people enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and the sunshine on the outdoor patio, not to mention the joviality of the bar man, whose phrases of “super duper” and “lovely jubbly” are (I believe), meant to re-enforce the feel of an English Country Pub!

The pub has a set menu, but also displays blackboards with mouthwatering daily specials.

In terms of drinks, they offer craft beer on tap and a good selection of South African wines and spirits.

I decided to try the Tempura battered prawns and Bryan opted for the Chicken and mushroom Pot Pie! Both were absolutely divine!

The Bell Tavern also has a wonderful history that dates back to the 1830’s.

George Rex, who was the ‘squire and proprietor of Knysna’, acquired a piece of land in 1830 called “Uitzicht”. Adding this to his existing estate made a total size of 24,000 acres. He decided to name this Belvidere.

The word “Belvidere” is derived from two Italian words, bel, which means “beautiful,” and vedere, which means “view” and when you visit Belvidere, you will certainly agree that it does have a beautiful view.

Anyway, back to the history of The Bell Tavern…

In 1833, Thomas Henry Duthie, a young Scotsman who was serving in the British Army, married George Rex’s daughter, Caroline and in 1834, Thomas paid £750 to George for the Belvidere Farm and they built their first cottage. The family eventually outgrew this cottage and in 1848 foundations for their new, bigger home were laid, with the family moving in to “Belvidere House” in November 1849.

The land remained in the Duthie family until 1985 when it was sold to a be developed in to Belvidere Estate. Fortunately, Belvidere House, was proclaimed a National monument and remains today as the centre of the Belvidere Estate, the popular suburb of Knysna.

It is believed that the building housing The Bell Tavern was actually a shelter located close to the original first home of Thomas and Caroline, where early traders coming to hunt would stay overnight. What is today’s wine cellar, (below ground), is made of stone and this would have kept the hunter’s meat cool overnight.

If you have time to spend when visiting The Bell Tavern, take a walk along the quiet roads of the Belvidere Estate down to the small harbour to enjoy the view over the Knysna Lagoon, or visit the Holy Trinity Church or the Belvidere Manor House and don’t forget to keep an eye and ear out for the Knysna loeries and enjoy the fragrant smells from the flowers lining the roads of the estate.

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