In 1699 Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel granted De Slange Rivier farm to Louis Fourie, a French Huguenot. The deed dated 28 February 1699 has been preserved and forms part of the Manor House’s art and antique furniture collection. He not only developed the farm’s agricultural landscape but planted vineyards and was highly regarded for his pioneering winemaking in Wellington. He is also credited as being the forefather of the Fourie family tree. Not unlike numerous other wine farms in South Africa who trace their history to Huguenot founders, Linton Park has a proud and honourable birth right.
The Estate was purchased by Camellia Plc in 1995. The United Kingdom based multinational is a global group, listed on the London Stock Exchange, and employs over 80,000 people worldwide. Camellia’s interests include tea gardens, macadamia and avocado plantations, food service and engineering.