Irene Accommodation

Irene

It is said that Irene is the only real Country Village in Gauteng where you can still walk in the narrow treed streets with nature close at hand. A suburb of Centurion, Irene is situated between Midrand and Pretoria. Traveling to the Union Buildings in Pretoria from Irene takes a mere 15 min and travelling to Sandton in Johannesburg is a 30 min drive. With the Gautrain, Gautengs new rail system, for People on the Move, these journeys are even more convenient, Centurion Gautrain station is situated at the Centurion Shopping Centre only a 5 min drive away. Irene is situated 4km from the Centurion Mall, 2km from Southdowns Mall and about 4km from the Irene Village Mall. Situated on Botha Avenue which runs through Irene are a number of small shops including Chemists, Garages, Cafes and Restaurants. The Supersport Park complex is also situated just 3km north of the N1. The nearby Irene dairy farm has two very popular restaurants and visitors can buy fresh milk daily as well as goodies from the delicatessen. The Anglican church of St Martins is situated in Irene as well as a number of other denominational churches including the Holy Cross Chapel which was dedicated in 1912. Irene also boasts its own library (built in 1940) as well as its own common.

History
A farm was established by a Voortrekker, Daniel Elardus Erasmus which he named Doornkloof. Alois Hugo Nellmapius, a Hungarian later purchased two thirds of the farm in 1889 and named it “Irene” after his daughter (Irene means “peace” in Greek). Nellmapius died in July 1893. Johannes Albertus van der Bijl bought the farm in 1896 on an auction which was now named Irene Estate. Part of the original Doornkloof farm was later bought by Jan Smuts in 1908. The Smuts residence is a museum today and open to the public. A craft market also takes place every second Saturday of the month on the grounds on the Jan Smuts residence. The Irene concentration camp was established in 1901 during the second Boer war for Boer prisoners. This concentration camp held 5,500 prisoners, mainly women and children and today the Camp cemetery houses 576 graves.

Irene is well known for its country feeling with the dairy farm, old war memorials and established homes. It is positioned between Nelmapius Drive and the Ben Schoeman Freeway. (N1). Irene has easy access to the N1(1km) as well as the R21 (5km) and is situated approximately 35 km from Sandton and 10 km from Pretoria City Centre.