Page 79 - Bulletin 15 2011

76

Alexander Forsyth (1869-1963)

Alexander Forsyth was born in Clackmannan, Scotland and educated
at the Dollar Academy in Alloa, Scotland. He was articled to Thorton,
Shields and Thompson of Edinburgh. His future wife
Agnes Page (married in 1902) who knew the Cape
persuaded him to emigrate here in 1897 and
on his arrival he joined his fellow Scotsman
John Parker as an assistant. The practice was
then known as John Parker, Architect. They
worked well together and on 1 January 1901
Forsyth was admitted as a partner. The name
Parker and Forsyth was, however, only used
from 1905. After Parker died in 1921 the
practice’s name was changed in 1923 to Forsyth
and Parker, when Parker’s son, Kilgour, a qualied
architect and an Associate of the Royal Institute of Alexander Forsyth - 1905
British Architects, was admitted as a partner. The
practice continued after Forsyth retired in 1946 (d. 24.2.1963 whereafter
a new partnership was formed by the name Forsyth and Parker.

The Masonic Hotel – 1913

Parker and Forsyth had done alterations to the Masonic Hotel, Main
Road Kalk Bay for Ohlssons Cape Breweries in 1906 as well as the Kings
Hotel in 1907 after Ohlssons took over this hotel from Charles King. In
1913 they did further extensions to the Masonic Hotel which included the
design of the renowned ‘Klipkantientjie’, a hotel bar for sherman and skip-
pers for over sixty years.

Die KlipkanWLHQtjie

The Masonic Hotel
was demolished in
1915 to make way for
the Majestic Hotel,
but thankfully ‘Die
KlipkanWLHQtjie’ UemainV
intact and today houses
Kalk Bay Books.

Die Klipkantjie