Page 56 - Bulletin 15 2011

53

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MIKE WALKER
MIKE WALKERR
MIKE
WALKE
Up until the arrival of the railways in 1883 and the formation of the Kalk
Bay – Muizenberg Municipality in 1895 the architecture of St. James had
been mainly vernacular in that architects were not employed and great use
was made of local materials especially stone from the mountain quarries.
This was evident in the building of houses, of the whaling stations, Villa
Capri and Pentrich, and of the rst Catholic Church in St. James (1858),
which stood on Main Road opposite today’s Catholic Church.

After the establishment of the Kalk-Bay Muizenberg Municipality
a resolution was passed in Council that all building plans be approved
by a Public Works and Finance Committee. This brought an increase in
professionalism as against the previous rather loose vernacular design.
The architect John Stonier was appointed as a Municipal Architectural
Consultant to handle any difculties the Municipality might have in
approving plans. His fee was determined on a half daily or full daily rate.
All plans, once approved, were stamped by the Municipal Clerk whereafter
tenders could be called for, and construction could begin. Later with the
introduction of piped water and water borne sewerage it became necessary

to submit a Drainage and Sewerage Disposal plan and a Locality plan, with
the Building plans.

Prominent early Cape Town architects who designed homes in St. James
were alphabetically:

Legend: F/A/L RIBA Fellow/Associate/Licentiate of the Royal Institute
of British Architects.

Alexander, George Murray (1851-1904) FRIBA (1886)

George Murray Alexander was born in Georgetown, Edinburgh. He was
educated in Edinburgh where his father was an architect and builder. He
was articled to his father from 1868-1872 whereafter he travelled in both
America and Canada. He returned to Edinburgh in 1877 to practice on his
own account until he left for the Cape Town in 1879, where he set up his
own practice in the same year. He was one of the architects who attended
Sir Herbert Baker’s meeting in 1899 to form the later named Cape Institute
of Architects. He married Louise Hatch at the Holy Trinity Church, Kalk