Borrowdale is a residential suburb in the north of Harare, Zimbabwe, which ranks among the most affluent and prestigious residential areas in the country. It forms part of the Northeast suburbs of the city of Harare, with a population of 20,312 as of the Zimbabwe 2012 Census.
Borrowdale is home to many notable schools, institutions, an arena, a pool, libraries and a number of parks and the prestigious Borrowdale Race Course. Traditionally, the community of Borrowdale has been a wealthy and predominantly white, anglophone enclave, having been at one point the richest community in Zimbabwe. It now competes with other neighbourhoods such as of Glen Lorne, Chisipite, Gunhill, Hogerty Hill, and Borrowdale Brooke, for the title.
The area is made up of the sub-neighbourhoods of Helensvale, Borrowdale Brooke, Philadelphia, Balentien Park, Crowhill Views, Unidale and Pomona. The suburb has numerous high-end shopping areas such Sam Levy's Village and Borrowdale Brooke Centre. The area is one of the most sought after and expensive places to live in Harare. There are private schools within the area which include St. John's College, St. John's Preparatory School and The Heritage School.
History
Borrowdale was named after an early merchant named Henry Borrow. Borrow set up the area as an estate that combined residential and farming areas. The estate consisted of 22,275 hectares of land spreading out northwards. The estate was purchased at the price of 17.5 cents per hectare. Borrow worked with his colleagues Heany and Johnson to produce vegetables and other products on the farm.
Borrow built a dam on the Borrowdale Brooke river in 1892 – the first in Rhodesia – and started to grow a variety of crops for the nascent town. The dam was used for many years for irrigation but was subsequently destroyed in 1939 after serious flooding.
In 1897, the area was acquired by United Goldfields Company which briefly ventured into livestock production but the enterprise was a failure. The area was then developed into residential plots and this resulted in the emergence of residential estates such as Helensvale, Hatcliffe, Greystone Park, Quinnington, and Glen Forest.
During the twentieth century, Borrowdale became a wealthy suburb; a then wooded, residential enclave dotted with many green spaces. It is known for its notable residents including many members of parliament, intellectuals, business people, ambassadors, and other professionals. The list included the former president Robert Mugabe whose home is known as the "Blue Roof," one of the largest properties in the area.
Character
Borrowdale is one of Harare's most exclusive residential neighborhoods. The neighbourhood is situated at a higher altitude than areas to the south with a number of gently rolling hills, parks, and the Borrowdale Brooke stream. Borrowdale's shops, schools and recreational facilities are located the southern part of the suburb. The majority of residents in this neighborhood own several properties either abroad or in rural parts of the country such as, the Mazowe Valley, Mashonaland East and the scenic Eastern Highlands region near Mutare.
The shops and restaurants in the Sam Levy's Village and Borrowdale Road area, are well patronized by Borrowdale residents. This shopping district includes clothing stores, sporting goods stores, gyms, gift shops, bakeries, restaurants and cafes.
Notable institutions located in or adjacent to Borrowdale are the Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club, and Borrowdale Country Club.
Homes
Borrowdale's houses include a variety of architectural styles including English Cottage, Tudor Revival, Cape Dutch, and modern postwar designs. Most of these homes were built between the late 1940s and 1980s. Since the late 2000s, the area has become the leading destination for non-resident Zimbabwean and foreign buyers, driving up prices far beyond average incomes and accessible to only the wealthiest of local residents. As a result of the new development, parts of Borrowdale have been redeveloped with larger houses which do not match the scale of the original housing in the neighbourhood.
In the first part of 2018, the average resale house price in the neighborhood was $530,036, higher than any Harare neighborhood other than Hogerty Hill and Borrowdale Brooke.
By the mid-2010s, the number of people squatting in informal settlements was growing.
Cityscape
Most of the area is residential. Homes increase in size and value toward the north, with the largest and most expensive being on its northern fringes towards Hogerty Hill and Shawasha Hills.