The love story of Lt. Brown and Lady Sumnerville. 

During the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1901) the British Army had their stables on his site. Lt. Brown was placed in charge of this outpost, and he lived in a cottage on the premises. Not only was he a very capable man but also very handsome.

The public in Britain heard of the bad treatment of their sons in the military camps and the influential Lord and Lady Sumnerville were commissioned to investigate this situation. It seemed a good idea that Lady Sumnerville should come out to South Africa to gain first-hand experience of the situation and to inspire the British troops.  

Lady Sumnerville, a very beautiful lady, was much younger than her husband. She arrived in Pretoria from Cape Town on 18 October 1900. Lt. Brown was assigned to be her escort during her stay in the Transvaal Republic. It was love at first sight! From then onwards they often met secretly in Lt. Brown’s cottage. 

Lady Sumnerville fell pregnant and immediately left for England. To her chagrin the news had leaked, and she received a cold welcome on her arrival. Lady Sumnerville was ostracized by high society and after her discrete divorce from Lord Sumnerville, she lost her title. 

Lt. Brown appealed to her to instantly return to South Africa, and he started planning for marriage. She booked herself on the ship as Mrs. D Brown.

Towards the end of the war, the so-called gentleman’s war was long over, and guerrilla warfare had started. Lt. Brown’s stables were attacked. He bravely attempted to defend his outpost, but during the skirmish he was killed. (His grave can be found in the old Pretoria cemetery). What disastrous news awaited his bride-to-be! 

Through the aid of Sammy Marks, an influential figure at that time and a friend of Paul Kruger, State President of the Zuid-Africhaanse Republic, both men with whom she was well acquainted, she then bought the site of the Whistletree Boutique Lodge and she settled in the cottage where she and Lt. Brown had often met.  

We have a collection of artifacts of this tragic love story on display throughout the hotel.