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Just five days after a destructive fire ripped through the main house at the well-known Lombardini Guest Farm in Jeffreys Bay, the dedicated and hardworking team rolled up their sleeves to host an exquisite wedding on April 13, with 140 guests in attendance.
Susan Lottering, who has owned the property for 17 years, said that the fire at the main house started at approximately 06:00, on April 9.
Since the incident is still under investigation, she said she is yet to receive more information about how the fire started.
Lottering said the building, constructed in the 1700s and initially used by ivory hunters, was one of the oldest buildings in the Eastern Cape.
She further said that the historic building was destroyed by the fire with only a section of the kitchen, which was separated by a concrete slab, surviving.
Lottering said the unaffected section of the kitchen housed their expensive ovens, fridges, and grillers.
She said that the Kouga Fire Department was on the scene within minutes after the fire incident was reported.
“The fire department arrived at the scene very quickly, and remained on site until about 18:00, as the thatched roof of the building kept flaming,” said Lottering.
Despite the loss of the building, she said she felt blessed that no-one was hurt during the incident.
Since the main house was the only building affected by the fire, with the lapa, manor house, and cottages being unaffected, she said they were able to continue with the wedding scheduled for April 13, and plan to continue hosting all weddings that have been booked, including a wedding set for April 20.
“We remain dedicated to hosting all the weddings that have been scheduled. The brides have planned their weddings for more than a year, and we will do everything in our power to get things going,” said Lottering.
Since the guest farm is without a functional kitchen, she said that with support from her “incredible team” and assistance from their neighbours, The Rose Barn, a wedding, and function venue that generously offered their kitchen for use, they were able to host 140 guests on April 13.
Lottering said that on the day they travelled back and forth to warm food at The Rose Barn, and made use of an open fire to cook the food, which created a nice atmosphere for the guests.
“I could not have done this without my incredible team and the assistance from the community, who have been assisting us since the day the fire started,” said Lottering. “I feel very fortunate to be able to continue with my business, especially in these tough economic times.”
Even though they are very grateful for the support they have received, Lottering said that they will continue to work on a permanent solution for a functional kitchen at the guest farm.
