Red 22 - A.W.H. Sheldorick, Rumuruti AND Capt. A.W.H. Sheldrick, Mweiga Est., Nyeri

F. McCartney - History of Mweiga Estate - The original Mweiga Estate, as it came to be called, was approximately 1100 acres on the extreme Northern side of the Kikuyu country before the land ran out to the great ranching areas to the North. On its Western boundary it marched with the Aberdare forest and consisted of about 300 acres of red soil suitable for planting coffee, which, however, in some areas was marginal and underlaid heavily with murram. The farm was taken up shortly after the Great War in about 1919 by Billy Sheldrick and Tommy Atkins.

William Ibbetson (later Sir William), a close friend of the great naturalist and writer Jim Corbett, was a sleeping partner. ….. Sheldrick and Atkins had come to Kenya from the Indian Army with two objects in mind - one was to plant and farm coffee and the second was to play polo. Over a period of years, 300 acres of coffee was planted under heavy shade consisting of grevilia and cordia holstein. Cultivation was by oxen with shallow ploughs and the main source of power for the pulping and the drying of the coffee was steam. To this end, steam engines were purchased and imported into the country, railed to Thika, which was the limit of the railway at that time, and hauled by oxen to their final resting place. Also imported were large rotary dryers, for the drying of the coffee.

As there were no coffee mills at that time machinery was also purchased for the hulling and grading of coffee. Equally there was no marketing organization, and coffee owners were at the mercy of agents in London, who sold coffee on the planters' behalf, the proceeds of sale being received months after despatch. During many periods, especially those of the depression of the 30's, the sale prices were hardly sufficient to cover the cost of production and it must have been a heart-breaking business. At this time nothing else was done with the remining land other than the introduction of a herd of extremely low grade humped cattle, which were able to do little other than suckle their young.

On the lighter side of life an area within a mile of the farm was found to enable the construction of not one but two polo grounds with scarcely having to level an ant hill. Here polo took place every Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning until the coming of Independence. ………

No history of the early days of Mweiga Estate would be complete without its Treetops connection. It was actually Sheldrick himself who, walking in the forest, came across the original Mugumo tree and realised its potential as an observation post for watching animals. He himself built the first platform in the tree and subsequently this was taken over and made into a four roomed tree house by Sherbrooke Walker, the owner of the Outspan Hotel. ………..  

Billy Sheldrick died in the 40's and, although his wife Avis carried on alone for a time, it was decided to sell the farm and at the end of 1947 the enlarged area of 1450 acres was purchased by Peter Marrian and his two partners Michael Foxley Norris and Frank Waldron.

Racing - Owner of 'Hassan II' - 1930 - Mrs A. Sheldrick

Barnes - Nairobi City Park Cemetery - Alfred Henry W. Sheldrick, died 4 Jul 1946 aged 62

Soldier Settlement Scheme after WW1 - Class B - Capt. A.H.W. Sheldrick, 33rd QVO Lt. Cavalry, Attd. 3rd Echelon, Alexandria - Farm 251

Gazette - 26/9/1923 - Voters' Register - Kenya Province - Alfred William Sheldrick, Planter, Mweiga Estate PO Nyeri and Avis Cecilia Sheldrick, Married, Mweiga Estate PO Nyeri

Gazette 9 Dec 1977 wife's probate