If you could write a message for future generations and place them in a time capsule, what would you write? Capetonians have taken on this task.
Cape Town, South Africa (12 November 2020) – The Winchester Mansions, a four-star hotel in Sea Point is busy with renovations and part of that is to place a time capsule for future generations to find. They asked people to send in their messages and quite a few will most definitely inspire the future generations.
If you could leave one message behind for generations to come, what would it be? The hotel is inviting South African citizens to be a part of its 100-year legacy by asking people to leave messages to future generations. These messages will be encapsulated and incorporated into the structure of the renovated hotel; in the hope that this will one day be found by future generations.
Setting itself apart from other hotels, Winchester Mansions is building on its past successes and strengthening its legacy by enhancing its levels of sophistication and luxury through its current renovations. The hotel was initially built in 1922 as a block of apartments and then converted into a hotel in 1960. Winchester Mansions has been renovated several times since then.
“The current renovation is by far the most unique as it commenced during a global pandemic,” says Lorna Watts, Acting General Manager at Winchester Mansions. “An iconic part of Sea Point, with its original Cape Dutch architecture, the hotel has a unique and timeless signature that we want to pass on to future generations,” she adds.
“We recently ran a competition on our social media pages to include locals in the hotel’s history,” explains Bianca Kaiser, Head of Social Media for Winchester Mansions. “The response was overwhelming, and we received so many wonderful messages to leave for future generations. We want to provide others with the opportunity to leave their messages and become a part of our heritage as well,” she adds.
The messages received so far have been addressed to people’s future selves, loved ones and the world in general. These messages will be printed and bricked into a prime location of the property under the supervision of Winchester Mansions’ property developers so as not to compromise the structural integrity of the hotel.
“It’s our own time-capsule, something we can contribute from this crazy year as a reminder to the people who come after us,” explains Watts.
The winning entrant, Sherry Walklett, left this message.
“Dear future generation, you will be living in a different world, but you will still be on our planet. Take care of it, so far it is the only planet that can sustain human life. Be gentle and kind to others while doing the same to yourselves. As humans, you are not better or superior to animals so look after them, and if they are wild animals, please leave them in the wild. Don’t take life too seriously; you have absolutely no idea what comes next, we didn’t. Laugh as often as you can and as loudly as possible. Take your seat at the table…every single time. Live your best life; this is not a practice run. With love.”
“We hope that these messages give positivity and hope to future people – anthropologists, scientists and historians who’ll one day include us in the stories they tell,” concludes Watts.
If you’d like to become part of Winchester Mansion’s journey and contribute your message to Cape Town’s history, contact them on Facebook.
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