Page 101 - Bulletin 12 2008

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could be widened, contour-wise. A group of [three] apartment blocks for the fishing
community are of no particular architectural merit in themselves, but they form a

familiar landmark in their crescent-shaped setting. A proper 230-metres-long
breakwater was started in 1913, and the railway, the harbour precinct and its quayside

came to occupy much of the original coastline and beaches.

Of all its layers of architecture, Kalk Bay retains good examples. Of the early thatched

cottages several survive along the main road both here and in St. James – including
Villa Capri, originally Muller’s whaling station. A notable stone-built mid-century

example not easily spotted stands high up in Rosmead Street. Most of the turn-of-the-
century villas, many by name architects, survive in good order. The business section

lining the main road towards the station forms a most interesting antiques and coffee-

shop walk, rivaling Long Street and the Church Street mall in Cape Town. Its
continuous double-storeyed buildings are in themselves much altered and not of great

architectural merit, but still provide a high-quality streetscape.

The harbour precinct in Kalk Bay, occupying the small promontory known as the Point,

no longer contains buildings of much interest, but with its piers and basins and the
never-ceasing activity of its fishermen and boats it is among the most fascinating

cultural environments in the Cape Peninsula.

Reference

Fransen, H. (2006). Old Towns and Villages of the Cape, Jonathan Ball Publishers,

Johannesburg.