Words: Georgina Guedes | Images: Supplied, Ter Hollmann & Charles Johnstone
Gail Schimmel is the award-winning author of The Park and other novels, and also the CEO of the Advertising Standards Authority. She and her husband, lawyer Paul van Onselen, live in Craighall Park, an area that suits Gail because it’s close to her regular routes and offers a number of lifestyle benefits and attractions.
Home sweet home
Gail and Paul previously owned another house in Craighall Park, but in what she describes as a “secret part” of the suburb on the other side of the river. After their son was born, they felt that they had outgrown their home and were house-hunting.
However, Gail got pregnant again – a little earlier than planned – and they realised they had left things too late. “We didn’t want to have to move with a new baby, so we put the house-hunting on hold for the time being. Then, once she was born, we started up again, with our baby daughter and son in tow,” she says.
They saw the listing for their current house and almost didn’t go to view it because it was on a busy road. When they arrived at the show day, the agent, who by then knew them well, said, “Oh, this is the perfect house for you!”
It was. “I turned to Paul and said, ‘If we get this, I’ll never ask for anything ever again,’ which as it turns out wasn’t true. But we did get the house,” says Gail. It has three bedrooms plus an outside guest suite and a cottage. It has a big garden, a pool and a house-length patio.
“It’s a lovely house for entertaining, which was important to me,” says Gail. “It’s also very child-friendly. We wanted a patio badly, but we didn’t want a wraparound garden because we wanted to be able to see our children at all times. And one of the first things we did was put a fence around the open pool.”
The home originally belonged to Hugh Page, the cricketer, and his wife, Julie Page, owns Toast & Co, an exclusive day spa down the road on Buckingham Avenue.
The house has been cleverly renovated, and Gail likes that she can look up at the ceilings and see where the structures of the original house ran. “We’re not brave renovators,” she says. “But I will suddenly take against the floors and will announce that I can’t walk on them for another day. So we’ve fixed those and we paved a part of the garden where the grass didn’t grow.”
They’ve also paved the pavement outside their house. “A friend told us it now looks like we live in an upmarket boutique hotel, which pleases us.”
Neighbourhood gems
“Proximity is very important to me,” says Gail. “I can walk to the Spar, which has an exceptional butcher. I also love the Lancaster Pharmacy, which is friendly and supportive in an emergency.”
She also likes to visit the Dolci Café down the road, which used to be a small coffee shop but is now a child-friendly restaurant. “It has delicious food and a great vibe on Friday evenings. It even has a WhatsApp group and posts a daily meal, which you can order and collect on your way home from work.”
Gail also has Impala Fruiterers within walking distance. “And Wine & Liquor at Craighall has recently started stocking cheese, which is a very exciting development.”
Hyde Park Corner, with all the usual mall suspects – Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Clicks – is practically on her doorstep. The Dunkeld West Shopping Centre is also down the road, with its array of shops, coffee shops and the Fournos Bakery. “And there’s the Cnr Cafe, which my son thinks is the biggest treat.”
Down the road in Delta Park is the Colourful Splendour Nursery and river frontage, with the Delta Café at one end. “There’s an almost rural shopping experience down there. You feel like you’ve stepped into another world,” says Gail. In fact, the title of her latest novel refers to the children’s play area in Delta Park.
She says that Patachou Patisserie is her office away from the office and that she also frequents the shops and restaurants in Parktown North and Parkhurst.
She says there are a number of preschools in the area, and that Craighall Primary is an excellent public school. There are also a number of private schools, including St Teresa’s, The Ridge School and St Katharine’s, close by.
Perfect Sunday
Gail says that her perfect Sunday involves a lunch overlooking her garden, knowing that she can pop out to get ice or wine refills at the drop of a hat.
“I love living in Craighall Park because it’s like a village. I stroll to the shops and bump into four people I know, and greet all the shopkeepers and wave to other people walking.”
Gail Schimmel
Do:
- Visit the Colourful Splendour Nursery.
- Go bird-watching at the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary.
- Visit the Johannesburg Zoo for a day of fun with the kids.
- Check out the exhibitions at the Everard Read Gallery in Rosebank.
- Visit acclaimed artist Yiull Damaso’s working studio/gallery.
Eat:
- Delta Cafe: for meals made from organic and free-range produce
- Cnr Cafe: for house blend coffee and home-made desserts
- Dolci Cafe: for artisanal cakes, cupcakes and Italian Pastries
- DW Eleven-13: for a unique experience through experimental cuisine
- Fournos Bakery: for a range of quality baked goods
Shopping:
- Hyde Park Corner
- Dunkeld West Shopping Centre
- Rosebank Mall
- The Zone @ Rosebank
- Parkview Fourth Avenue
- Parktown Quarter
