Illyria House

Illyria House was originally built in 1940 by a physician, Dr Ockert Vermeulen. He was a dynamic personality and also owned diamond mines. His wife Adelaide, often sat in the hall sorting diamonds as a hobby.
Their son Ockert Junior, who inherited the house, was also a physician. His sister, a well-known artist, Marie Vermeulen Breedt, became famous after painting President Nelson Mandela, who was a guest at Illyria House in later years.We bought the house on 14 February 1992 as a student home for our four daughters who studied at the University of Pretoria; hence the names of the suites.