Pinelands was South Africa's first Garden City, planned in accordance with the ideas of Ebenezer Howard of England contained in his famous book 'Garden Cities of Tomorrow', published in 1898. He suggested the building of new towns, or 'garden cities' as he called them, planned to provide adequate space for schools, hospitals, roads, playing fields, churches and shops for all the requirements of ideal living conditions.

The layout of the first section of Pinelands was completed at the beginning of 1921 and the first house was completed in 1922. Like the many hundreds that followed, it was built with a thatched roof - the only roofing material permitted at the time. This gave Pinelands its typical English village charm.

On 25 May1923, four years after the commencement of the project , General J. C. Smuts laid a foundation stone in Central Square "to commemorate the founding of Pinelands", the first Garden City to be established under the Trust formed by the Union Government and Mr. Richard Stuttaford of Cape Town.

It was important to recognise the wealth of history and the beauty of the early areas established in Pinelands and to preserve its heritage, not only as the first Garden City laid out in South Africa but as such the forerunner of town planning in the country. As a tribute to a wonderful environment with its unique "old-world charm", The Mead and Meadway, with their little thatched "Cotswold" houses, were proclaimed National Monuments on 22 April 1983. The intention was that the houses and their environment would stand for all time as a tribute to those who visualised a garden city in South Africa and had the financial clout and political courage to carry their
conviction through to fruition.

Pinelands was declared a Local Board Area in the early 1920's and in 1948 became a municipality. It remained an independent Local Authority until 1996 when it was incorporated into the City of Cape Town.

Pinelands is very central, ideal for either the business or leisure traveller and provides easy access to the N1, N2, M3, and M5 motorways. It is close to the attractions of Cape Town, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, hiking trails, coastal drives, beaches, Newlands Sports Grounds, Mowbray and Rondebosch golf courses and just around the corner from Vincent Pallotti hospital.