radach Manor is an imposing building with unrivalled views over the Knysna Lagoon and through the Heads out to the Indian Ocean. The origins of the building are obscure but it has been built in the form of a small castle and dominates the hillside above the town. It is, indeed, the first building that you notice when driving in from Cape Town across the lagoon. he name Bradach was chosen by a previous owner. The only interesting facet of the name is that it appears to be derived from the same Irish surname as Brady, which rather dubiously translates as large-breasted. The origins of the name Knysna are confused but it originated, apparently, as the Hottentot name for the river that flows into the Lagoon. The original form of the name appears to have been Xthuys Xna (place of wood). nysna’s most famous resident was George Rex, who, probably falsely, claimed to be the illegitimate son of George III of England and his Quaker wife, who went by the magical name of Hannah Whitefoot. His farm, Melkhoutkraal, was burned down during a Xhosa raid along the coast. When he re-built it, he married his late wife’s daughter from an earlier marriage and produced six sons and seven daughters. They seem to have formed the leading original family of Knysna. The town itself was founded in 1895 by Lord Charles Somerset on land granted by George Rex. In its heyday, it was a major port exporting wool, timber and railway sleepers. he Thesen family, after whom the island in the centre of the lagoon is named, founded the Knysna Steam Ship Service with two coasters, the 635 ton Ingerid and the 23 ton Agnar, trading up and down the coast. oday, Knysna is the heart of the Garden Route and offers access to superb beaches, unspoiled natural forests, interesting activities and some of the most spectacular golf courses in the country.