About Abrams Crest, Kelso KZN
Luxury Residential Estate with magnificent sea views on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal
Nestled on the Mid-South coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, between Scottburgh and Pennington, lies the unspoilt area of Kelso.
The area is steeped in history, having served as an outspan post for postal pony riders in the 1800’s, as well as a major railway junction for the transportation of sugarcane, at the turn of the 20th century. The “Kelso Hill” forms part of a new development initiative from local developers, Simpkins & Associates International cc.
A large portion of the hill now comprises an up-market, gated, residential housing estate, called Abrams Crest, named after the Abrams family, who were owners of the farm on which the development is situated, since the mid 1800’s.
The estate comprises 145 freehold residential sites, many of which are situated on the crest and sea-facing side of Kelso Hill and enjoy spectacular sea views.
The development is fully walled with eco-friendly aggregate impregnated concrete palisade fencing. The roads are tarred, with cobble paved intersections. The estate has “Ye olde” colonial style lampposts and street signs, and is guarded by a manned gated entrance to the estate.
In order to retain the up-market feel of the estate, it is necessary to set an architectural “feel”, with design guidelines, and to create a set of social rules that must be adhered to by residents. These guidelines are compiled for the protection of all current and future landowners, and will, no doubt, be a major asset in the development process of Abrams Crest.
DEVELOPMENT ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
The architectural design style for Abrams Crest is the South African variant of Colonial Architecture, known as the “Natal Verandah Style”. This style was developed in the mid 1800’s to suit the KwaZulu-Natal climate.
Buildings were designed with low pitch roofs to reduce the accumulation of hot air in the roof spaces. Verandahs were incorporated into the building design to create a shady indoor-outdoor social area where cool breezes would relieve the discomfort of the high humidity. Verandahs would shield the external walls from the sun, which lowered the temperature of the entire house.
With time the verandahs became more decorative, as the darker areas of the verandah would be set of by patterns of light created by the sun shining through the elaborate iron and timber details.