The Nguni Guy: Step Inside Hartford House

Hartford House is a unique boutique hotel situated on the Summerhill Equestrian Estate in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Here you can experience a country atmosphere with lush landscapes.

Photographer @rubyjeantakesphotos 📸

A retreat from the hubbub where you make sense of a fast life and its details. Hartford stands apart for its authenticity. Its architecture, views, dining, sounds and scents; its horses and its people are all exhilarating surprises, unique to this culture, to Africa.

Hartford House is steeped in history

Its beauty was first discovered by the Moor family almost 150 years ago when they came by its vacant landscape in the early 1870s. Home to the family of John and Sir Frederick Moor, the last prime minister of old Natal, the property is now part of the greater Summerhill Estate, the former domain of Colonel Richards, a senator in the first Union government. These families’ endeavours left a rich mark on what the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal represents today.

Some 70 years later, Raymond Ellis founded his all-conquering Thoroughbred enterprise on these historic acres, when any horse carrying his black and green silks was said to be as good as money in the bank. Such was their dominance that the Hartford horses carried off every major prize on the southern African turf. Their exploits compared with the mighty strings of England’s Lord Derby, the Agas Khan and the Sheikh Maktoum, Ireland’s Coolmore, France’s Boussac, Italy’s Tesio, or those of America’s Phippses and Calumets.

A Unique and Rich Heritage

“We are the custodians of one of Africa’s most treasured legacies, and in the process of preserving it, we hope to contribute to the area, culture and history of this rich land and continue to write the next chapters for generations that follow”.

Henning procured Summerhill Estate and Hartford House in 2019, and undertook a complete renovation of Hartford House and the property as a whole. To build on the rich history of this beautiful property, he has introduced some new elements with the relocation of his top warmblood sporthorse stud, Capital Stud, to the estate along with a world-class Brangus herd.

The truth is, Hartford just happened. A home, and a grand one at that, which grew into a hotel. In so many ways, it’s gained and regained inspiration from the cultures it celebrates. It is life’s exception, a place at the same time comfortable beyond dreams, yet innocent of pretense.

Photographer @rubyjeantakesphotos 📸

The Nguni Guy

With a heritage home like Hartford House, it’s only fair that the best quality materials were brought in to adorn the interiors. The Nguni Guy provided the ideal accent rugs to compliment the authentic African ambience of the home. After all, what is a room without a statement rug?

The Nguni Guy is also offering 25% off all Nguni Hides. Choose from over 150 hand-selected Nguni Hides, with a large variety of colours, patterns, and price points to choose from.