History

Candlewood Farm was part of a larger farm, Portland, owned by Henry Barrington
in the 1800s. An account of the pioneering days of Portland is recorded in Honey,
Silk and Cider by Katherine Newdigate. A failed attempt by Barrington to establish
a silk industry with imported Italian workers, some of whose descendants still live
in Knysna, was the subject of Dalene Mathee’s novel Moerbeibos. Evidence of
indigenous timber extraction in the surrounding forests can still be seen in the
form of abandoned sawpits and trek paths.

The wilderness area on the farm adjoins the Garden Route National Park where
there are many additional activities to explore.

Narina Cliffs cottage was dismantled at a Southern Cape forestry station and re-
erected at the present location in the 1990s.

Used as a family retreat it is now being shared with nature loving guests.