156 High Street

The house was built in the Cape Dutch Revival style. The front-end side-gables with fanlights make an outstanding feature in a street block with simple Karoo-style houses.

The house originally belonged to the Gully family who also owned the neighbouring corner house. In 1926 Edward Gully sold the house to Dr Marius Anné Diemont. The side room with a door leading to the verandah was used as his consulting-room. Dr Diemont was married to an Australian lady, Averina Rose Sandes King (Rose Diemont), a well-known artist. One of her paintings can be seen in the local museum.

From 1964 to 1976 the house belonged to the Agranat family. The family ran a hardware enterprise and sold amongst others, steel and iron articles. Many of the surviving drain covers in the streets still bear the name Agranat on them.

After four years of operating as a brewery and weekend restaurant on their farm in Kleynspoort, Robert and Olga Hofmeyr moved their Thorny Creek Brewery to this magnificent house and opened Basil and Barley Restaurant.