Eccentric Settlers in Nyandarua
Cheese House: Once Upon An Etherington
Currently made use of as Karangatha Health Centre, Cheese House, an epithet awarded in honour of its amiable occupier, was foremost the residence John W. Etherington who immigrated from Australia to settle in the healthful highlands of Kinangop. An outstanding relic of the baroque style associated with this era, it is, unavoidably based on its location, often erringly linked to the happy valley set; a group of privileged settlers who revelled in a lifestyle of unparalleled indulgence. The fortuity of the last is not proven. Cheese House is found 25 km from Flyover-Njabini via C67 Thika-Gatura Road at Karangatha, shortly before getting to Njabini.
Since the appliance of the Crown Ordinance Act in 1902 – in this Act, and in all conveyances, leases and licences and in all agreements, notices and documents relating to ‘productive’ land being granted to colonial powers and settlers – the mostly European settlers took control of the inchoate farming industry, to help grow the industry and develop the economy, by preference taking up the “White Highlands” around Central Kenya where the climate was very favorable. These farms often came with demands for strict economic, ethical and environmental behaviour, and rather attractive terms, encouraging the arrival of many settlers.
And so in the late 1940’s there was a new player, John W. Etherington. He had been awarded a parcel of estate in the Kinangop area. On this land he put up a house and succeeded a dairy farm, earning him the nickname cheese. For what some consider a picturesque structure, the name is quite befitting. Over seventy years later, the house built by ‘cheese’ is a testament to solid workmanship. And while the old colonial houses around Kenya are as diverse as they are impressive, Cheese House checks all the essential boxes, with its soaring ceiling and pitched wooden roofs, landscaped gardens and picket fence, and of quintessential sharp angular walls and stack columns so well presented here of relic country homes.
From what records exist, as supported in his memoir “Kinangop: A Settler’s Story”, John Etherington lived a happy and productive life, raising a productive farm and happy family with his wife Eleanor Féy. Sadly, Eleanor died of polio aged 48. John died aged 91 and his ashes are buried in the garden that he lovingly created. Their legacy would be carried on by Geoffrey Field Etherington born in this very estate, alongside his brother, Dan, and sister, Nancy. After school he studied agriculture in South Africa and then at Egerton in Kenya and, as it was, for the first time excelled in his studies. Early in 1955, he was called up and saw active service patrolling the jungles of Kenya as a Field Intelligence Officer during the Mau Mau emergency.
He was known as a marksman, but used to say that it was because the person next to him on the rifle range shot at his target accidentally. In 1963, the British government, as part of a nationalization programme, bought the farm. Presently, life around Kinangop area was not safe, and Geoffrey slept with a pistol under his pillow. They decided to emigrate, tossing-up between Australia, Canada and New Zealand; but figured that Australia was too hot, Canada was too cold, and New Zealand was just right. So, in 1963, the cheese generation of Etherington’s moved to New Zealand. It was a most satisfying moments for Geoffrey Field Etherington to drop his pistol down the long-drop the day he left Kenya. Bye, Cheese House!
During the colonial era, Nyandarua was home to plenty of settlers from war and wide, making it a rare cosmopolitan enclave deep in the isolated highland. Among these was a progeny of Australians, like Etherington, who built a lasting emotional connection to Kinangop. Incredibly, two Australians whose parents lived in Kenya came back to Kenya as Ambassadors. Still, it is, perhaps, a lost opportunity that Nyandarua county hasn’t amplified its Ausie heritage, and built a lasting emotional connection to Australia. The progeny of Australians who once lived in Kenya will always be fascinated by such places. The county needs to re-connect with other countries whose citizens once made Nyandarua their home, and blaze this legacy.
1900 marked the arrival and influence of various settlers, notably of the British and Indians, attracted by fertile agricultural lands and untapped market for trade. These settlers and individuals, some famous as local eccentrics, left lasting legacies in Kenya’s history, contributing to its cultural, economic, and political development. The legacies of the eccentrics are still much-talked about today.
Index of Eccentric Settlers in Kenya
Kiambu County - William Northrup McMillan, Kilifi County - Johann Ludwig Krapf, Mombasa County - Allidina Visram, Makueni County - Peter Cameron Scott, Machakos County - Frank O'Brien Wilson, Meru County - Edward B. Horne, Muranga County - John Bayes, Nakuru County - Lord Maurice Egerton, Lord Delamere, Diana Delamere, Alan Root, Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole, Lady Eleanor Balfour, Nairobi County - Karen Blixen, Lord Erroll, Alice de Janzé, Derek Erskine, Nyandarua County - Geoffrey Buxton, John W. Etherington, Robert F. Carnegie, Nyeri County - Major Eric Sherbrooke Walker, Robert Baden-Powell, William Holden, Samburu County - Rhodia Mann, Taita Taveta County - Ewart Grogan, Denys Finch Hatton, Tana River County - George G. Adamson
Greatly positioned as an agrarian hub, with increased investment in infrastructure, Nyandarua County is also famous for its scenic landscapes and montane climate. Named after the Aberdare Ranges, with an extensive presence, Nyandarua grew as an agribusiness locale but is well making a name for itself as an alpine escape.
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Explore Destinations Nearby Cheese House, Etherington
A Guide to Nyandarua County
A Summa Digest of Nyandarua
About Nyandarua Way Back When
45 Destinations in Nyandarua County, arranged as one would visit these - south, north then west - with aid of in-depth narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Matches Dam, Gitwe Viewpoint, Mawingu Camp Kenya, Heni Viewpoint, Kijabe Hills, Kinangop Step, Ragia Forest Trail, Sasumua Dam, Sharpe's Longclaw Nature Reserve, Elmer Resort & Spa, Cheese House, Njabini, Elephant Hill, Aberdare Range, Kinangop Plateau, Mount Kipipiri, Mount Kipipiri Golf & Resort, Wanjohi Valley (Happy Valley), Davida Getaway, Wanjohi Falls, Kenungu Falls, Buxton House, Rurimeria Forest Trail, Mount Satima, Table Mountain, Dragon’s Teeth, Cedar Retreat (Log Cabin), Ndaragwa Falls, Ndaragwa Forest, Maverick Camp Rondavels & Farmstay, Malewa Bundu Camp, Plovers Eco Camp, Dundori Forest, Lake Ol Bolossat, Samawati Conservancy, Olrok Farm House, Laikipia Plateau, Tafaria Castle & Center for Arts, The Fairway Residence, Carnegie House (Ngobit Girls School), Knessiah Jewish Synagogue, Thompson Falls
Know More About Nyandarua County: Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Thanks to its high altitude, all of Nyandarua experiences pleasant to low temperatures. Highest temperatures are in the month of December that bears an average temperature of 25oC: Lowest in July, 14oC.
To the east, the Aberdare Range traverses its border with Nyeri County. End to end, the Aberdare Range, with vast presence in Nyandarua is a whooping great 565 km.