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History: Westoe adjoins Coornhoop on its northern side; the land it occupies was a part of the Coornhoop farm. In 1785 the owner of Coornhoop, Helena Jonasse, widow of Claas Coert, bequeathed the old farm jointly to three men. They immediately divided it into three parts and the land on which Westoe stands came into the possession of Francois Pieter de Necker who probably built the present house.
The house originally had the traditional H-shape with six gables, but it suffered repeated alterations during the nineteenth century. The “voorhuis” was separated from the “agterhuis” by a passage built right across it; one of the courtyards was built up, many of the windows were replaced by windows of a later period; the gables were cut and the height of the walls reduced. In spite of all this the house retained many of its characteristic features. The walls were solid, the yellow-wood floors and ceilings were undamaged and the single-panelled doors were all intact.
Fortunately two admirers of old Cape houses bought Westoe a few years ago and restored it beautifully. However, the land on which it stands enjoys flat rights, that is, flats may be built on it, a state of affairs that always constitutes a threat that a building might be demolished. At the request of the owner that this erstwhile farmhouse should be preserved for posterity, it has been proclaimed as a monument.
Proclaimed 1968
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