Page 158 - Bulletin 17 2013

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plans for a garage with a four roomed cottage and these were approved. The estimated cost was

£1,200. (Fig. 3.37.)

In 1935 the family bought the ‘Terenure’ boarding house previously owned by Mrs Clampett and
members of the Adams family live there to this day. The ‘billiard saloon’ building with the house

next to it was rented by 1940 by the Ralph family. Called ‘Pear Field’ it was bought by the
family and Jean Ralph lives there now – 70 years later.

The van Blerk Family

A family mentioned only in passing so far are the van Blerks. At one time or another they owned

all the buildings on the right hand side of Belmont Road looking down the road. The family has a
long history at the Cape. The first van Blerk arrived from Blerik near Venlo in Holland with the

VOC. I was told by an old resident that they were in fact known as van Blerik in Kalk Bay. Time
does not permit a family history, but suffice it to say that they were well established in Kalk Bay

and among other things members of this family were on the DRC raad, the Management Board
of the village, on the board of the primary school, and served on the Municipal Council. They

had a bakery on the Main Road and also ran a dairy, with their cattle grazing on the mountain at

the top of Clairvaux Road. Prior to 1887 Nicolaas van Blerk snr. was leasing a huge piece of land
on the mountainside at £5 a year. It is believed this included the waterfall and water rights to the

stream that runs down through Die Dam. Break pressure tanks were built (one is still on the
mountain) and pipes were laid to run water to their farm Die Opstal (The Homestead) at the

corner of what is now Anderson and Lock Roads, and down to the turntable for the steam trains

at the end of the rail line. The family owned extensive properties apart from the Homestead,
including Clairvaux House, and other properties in the area of Die Land.

The extent of the van Blerk properties can be seen in Fig. 3.35. The cottages on the far side of

Belmont Road had been built by 1865 when they were bought by Albertus Petrus Smit for £450.

They were owned at one time by Abraham Auret who sold them to John Robert Wilson for £375
in 1880.