Soffiantini's Castle
This Multi will take you to a great neighbourhood in Nahoon. Try picturing what it was like to be all farmland.
This crazy looking castle was built in 1950 by Italian immigrant Jean Baptiste Soffiantini. Soffiantini came to East London in 1923 and he quickly became famous with the locals. He was quite mental, proof being that he said he had ties with a mafia gang, racehorses that he picked up from the airport, he towed them behind his car, and he also at one stage celebrated his birthday driving around town nude! Despite this, he was actually quite clever. He bought a dilapidated farm in Nahoon, and demolished it to make way for his famous castle. He imported stone from Italy to build this castle, which he designed himself!
All the fixed furniture inside he imported from Italy, which came from a family castle he just inherited. These furnishings are still in situ today. The castle was completed in 1950, and was admired by the locals. Inside his castle is genuine marble staircases and walls. Soffiantini also made contributions to East London's motor racing history, and it was through him that the historic Grand Prix Track was built in West Bank just down the road from the Hood Point Lighthouse. Kids were curious of his landmark castle, which was surrounded by 8 meter high walls and guarded by a pack of Dobermans (Soffiantini was mad with security!)
Soffiantini spent the last few years of his life in a psychiatric hospital before finally passing away in 1973. His wax sculptures were presumably auctioned off, but his castle was not as it was stated in his will that the castle was to go his sons and daughters when he passed away. However, there major family squabbling and the castle eventually fell into ruin from neglect.
Later on the city council made plans to demolish Soffiantini's landmark castle to make way for luxury flats and a spa, but the locals of Nahoon protested the demolition plans and sought help from Soffiantini's children to save the castle. Eventually his kids had the historic castle restored to full health and submitted an application to the Heritage Council of the Eastern Cape to have the castle registered as heritage. The plans were accepted and the castle was declared heritage so the city council had no choice but to drop their plans to redevelop the site.
Today the castle is a private apartment complex and the current owners are very strict as to who can stay at the castle in order to keep it from going back into a slum. 60+ years on this crazy looking but genuine castle continues to dominate the landscape fascinating newcomers who have never heard of it or of Jean Baptiste Soffiantini. The historic West Bank Grand Prix Track, whom Soffiantini was partly responsible for was slated for demolition to make way for a university but the locals kicked up a fuss as MOST people in East London learned to drive on this track and eventually the plan were dropped.
Copyright Luke-The-Spook.