Page 38 - Bulletin 17 2013

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holidays. Tea-rooms were open from 8 am to 11.15 pm during December to March and

8.30 – 6 pm for the remainder. It eclipsed its rivals the Adderley Street Pier and Sea Point
Pavilion: in 1930 it recorded 256,106 visitors compared to Adderley Street Pier’s

253,633, and Sea Point Pavilion’s 156,594. And it remained more popular than these two
throughout the 1930s.

It became a social focus not only of Muizenberg but a much wider area. It was the venue

for civic receptions, conferences, political gatherings and voting on election days; the city

orchestra played there regularly; it was a popular venue for charity balls and related fund-
raising events; it hosted indoor sports like boxing and badminton; it was used by the local

schools for prize-givings and performances. On the beach the Argus ran sand modelling

competitions that were attended by thousands of children – many of these were from less
privileged communities. During the coming war years it would be as heavily used as its

predecessor had been in the previous war for fund-raising events and entertainments for
the troops. Unfortunately, it failed as a theatre for large plays and musicals as it had no

wings.

Demand for bathing boxes continued to grow and in 1937 an additional 50 sites were

pegged east of the vlei mouth. On 28 February 1939 approval was given to the proposed
Lakeside Development Scheme to develop Zandvlei as a recreational lake. A sum of

£48,640 was committed to this and excavations were to commence using available funds
of £5,000. Eventually there was to be a water area of 150 acres having an average depth

of 3 ft. There would also be a yacht harbour, children’s harbour, and bird sanctuary.
However, war priorities stopped this scheme and it was carried out only in the 1950s.

St. James

The coast south of Muizenberg is predominantly rocky and punctuated by pocket

beaches. St. James was the first significant one of these. In 1897 and 1907 it was
described thus: