Join Dr Gwen Fagan for morning or afternoon tea and a private tour of ‘Die Es ’(meaning “the hearth”). Die Es is the family’s architecturally acclaimed house in Camps Bay, Cape Town. It was designed in the 1960s by Gwen’s late husband, Gawie Fagan, who was one of South Africa’s most prominent architects until his death at the age of 95 in September 2020.

After the design of ‘Die Es’ was finalized, the couple proceeded to build the house themselves. The house, and most things in it, are hand made by Gawie, Gwen, their son and three daughters.

Guests will be treated to tea or wine and light refreshments and can look forward to hearing many interesting stories, accumulated and experienced in the span of almost a century by the remarkable couple Gwen and Gawie Fagan. These two strong individuals were married for more than 70 years, and both are Cape institutions in their own right. Gwen was born in 1924 and qualified as a medical doctor, working as such until 1969 whereafter she joined Gawie’s architectural practice as a historical researcher and landscape planner. She completed a PhD in 1995, titled “An Introduction to the man - made landscape at the Cape from the 17th to the 19th centuries” and is also the author of numerous books, including Roses at the Cape of Good Hope.