Ashcombe House was one of the oldest homesteads in Pinetown, some 20 km northwest of Durban. An existing plaque gives the date of the home of Martinus Laas as 1847. The original home had a thatched roof, later replaced by a tin roof. It is said at one time to have been occupied by Laas’s son-in-law, William Cowie. The house was demolished in September 1954 to give way to Buckley Court, Lot 2340 Pinetown at 78 Old Main Road.
IsiZulu Summary
Umuzi owaziwa ngokuthi yi-Ashcombe House ungeminye yemizi emidala kakhulu endaweni yasePinetown. Okuqoshiwe kukhomba ukuthi lendlu yakhiwa ngeminyaka yo1847. Umuzi wokuqala wawunophahla lotshani okwathi ngokuhamba kwesikhathi lwashintshwa lwafakwa uthayela. Kunamahlebezi okuthi lomuzi wake wahlala umkhwenyana wakwaLaas uWilliam Cowie. Lomuzi wabhidlizwa ngo September ka 1956 ukuze kwakhiwe inkantolo.
Reference: Mrs Kaplan, White, Mrs W.V.