[1] Theodore Albert Edward Holdengarde (born Theodore Garde,[2] 1878–1947[3][a]) was a South African-born man of British descent who ran a successful construction business and was mayor of Bulawayo in 1938 and 1940.

[2] Arriving in Southern Rhodesia between 1908 and 1910, he bought 100 acres of land outside Bulawayo and constructed the castle over a period of time.

[4] Inspired by medieval romanticism, the owner worked on the castle at weekends with a small team, at times demolishing and rebuilding to follow his changing plans.

[2][4] After the death of Holdengarde in 1947, and his wife in 1967, the castle briefly fell into disrepair before being taken over by their son, Paul, an ex-WWII pilot, who renovated the premises.

[4] However, failing health and old age meant that he was unable to maintain the castle and protect it from squatters and arsonists, who burnt down the reception in 1974.