Anne Porter Knight Frank are marketing a home in Rondebosch that has two remarkable "extras", one of which would be unlikely to crop up more than once every century.

The home has a 300 year old 9m deep well - in itself not such an unusual feature - but this well might, just, have treasure buried within the silt that lies at its bottom.

"The unconfirmed story," says Sylvia Muzzell of Anne Porter Knight Frank, who are the agents for the home, “is that after Napoleon died on St Helena - to the end closely guarded by British troops - his steward settled in South Africa and owned this property. He was a married man but not always faithful to his spouse who, on discovering that he had had a liaison with another lady, threw the jewellery that he had given her down the well, from where, it is said, it has never been recovered."

Any recovery, she adds, would be difficult because the well has several metres of water in it year-round. Although this is used to irrigate the garden it has never dried up. Getting to the base of the well would, therefore, probably involve employing a diver.

"It is, of course, quite possible that the story is totally apocryphal or that any jewels there are of minimal value - but who knows," said Muzzell.

The house itself is beautifully sited on the steep slopes of Devils Peak and within two minutes' walk of UCT’s Middle Campus. However, as it is not on a through road, it is exceptionally quiet and peaceful with minimal sign of students or UCT staff.

"The house is deceptive," says Jeanne Cowan, also of Anne Porter Knight Frank, "because from the street it looks like a small English cottage. On entering, you discover that over the years the owners have built extensively on the lower slopes and have created a home that is, in fact, big enough for two families: it has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, four living rooms, a study, a pool and ample parking space."

The home has all the much-admired features of an earlier era: high ceilings, sash windows, Oregon pine floors, solid wood doors and cast iron fireplaces. Full length glazing on main living rooms opens out the views of Devil's Peak and the southern spine of the Table Mountain range.

The owner has said that homes in this street tend not to be sold but passed on from one generation of the family to another.

"We are, therefore, breaking with the tradition," she said, “but we do hope that the new owners will appreciate the home as much as we do."

For further information contact Sylvia Muzzell or Jeanne Cowan on 021 671 9120.