According to Early Architects of Cape Town and their buildings (1820 – 1926), by Michael Walker, the first Muizenberg Pavilion was a wooden structure built by the Kalk Bay-Muizenberg Municipality in 1910. The plans had been drawn up by the municipal engineer D P Howells, who also supervised the construction. The pavilion soon proved to be too small, and the architect William John Delbridge was asked to draw up a two-thirds extension to the structure. The extension included a large tearoom with an attractive lean-to verandah, additional private dressing cubicles and fresh-water showers. The extended pavilion was opened by the Administrator of the Cape, Sir Frederic de Waal, on 16 December 1911. Picture: Go SouthAccording to the Kalk Bay Historical Association, the first pavilion was replaced by the second pavilion, pictured, in 1929. It was demolished in the 1970s due to its excessive-high maintenance costs. The steel rods within the concrete columns had rusted and expanded causing a condition known as spalling where huge pieces of concrete simply fell off the columns. This condition was evident not only on the columns but also in the concrete of the main structure. The proximity of the sea exacerbated the problems of corrosion and spalling, and a decision to demolish the pavilion in total was taken at the end of the 1960s. Picture: Independent NewspapersA recent picture of the current Muizenberg Pavillion.According to the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society, the Muizenberg Station was built between 1911 to 1913 and officially opened June 7, 1913, by the minister of railways and harbours, Henry Burton. It was declared a national monument in 1982. Surmounted by a clock tower, it has all the hallmarks of an Edwardian building with red brick prominent but with a nod of recognition to the Cape Dutch style.The rock was quarried at Elsies Peak in Fish Hoek and the dressed stone came from Kalk Bay. Picture: Go SouthA recent picture of the Muizenberg Station.According to the South African Heritage Resources Agency, Het Posthuys, pictured circa 1910, is claimed to be one of the first buildings erected in the country. It was presumably built as a three-roomed signal station by the VOC, apparently in 1673 – a year before the Castle in Cape Town was occupied. First recorded on a map in 1687, the actual origins and history of this building are still a subject of debate – as dates vary between 1662 and 1673 – but it is thought to be the second oldest building in the Cape after the Castle, and the oldest in False Bay. It was declared a national monument in 1980. Picture Go South.A recent photograph of Het Posthuys.
The False Bay Echo is celebrating its 70th anniversary and to commemorate this milestone, readers can look forward to a souvenir edition in September. In the run-up to our birthday, we will publish a four-page pull-out every month as well as a “Then and Now” picture page, which will commemorate the rich history of the far south. We invite our readers to share their memories of the past with us by sending in old photographs, letters, or stories to our acting editor, Simoneh de Bruin, at simoneh.debruin@acm.co.za
