Page 48 - Bulletin 17 2013

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pavilion was opened the number of bathers increased week by week, and so it is here, and
long before the holiday season is over the Kalk Bay pavilion will be found far too small
to suit the demands of visitors and local residents.
There is one advantage Kalk Bay possesses over Muizenberg. When the south-
east wind blows at the latter place, making it extremely unpleasant to be out and about, it
is comparatively calm and pleasant at Kalk Bay.

In 1911 Charles McGhie was contracted by the KB-MM to formalise the walling of

Bishop’s Pool thereby creating a long rectangular pool that bathers walked into over a
sloping sand beach – as at St James – that ran down from the rail embankment. (Figs.

1.51 & 1.52.) In 1913 William Delbridge was contracted to construct a pavilion to replace
the Ladies Bathing House of c. 1908. It was situated south of the railway footbridge

(today’s subway entrance) and provided bathing cubicles for men and women, as well as
freshwater showers and toilets. This proved to be too small and the following year he

built a second pavilion north of the railway footbridge which included a tea-room. This

became the new Ladies’ Pavilion while the first pavilion then became the Gentlemen’s
Pavilion. Both offered the same facilities of 7 freshwater showers and toilets, except that

the Men’s was larger with 44 cubicles compared to 24 for women. (Figs. 1.53 & 1.54.)

Together they catered for 700 bathers a day. Also in 1913, a low wall was built across the
beach end of the pool to prevent sand from silting it. (Fig. 1.55.) A diving board was

considered at the deep end but never installed.

At this time, 1914, all bathing boxes that had stood against the rail embankment were
removed to open up more beach space, and the City Council constructed 200 ft. of sea-

wall to prevent the sea from scouring the beach sand. As the Cape Government Railways

had in 1905 built a 500 ft. long 15 ft. wide wooden sea-side platform Kalk Bay could now
boast of having a promenade in addition to two pavilions and a pool.

This situation endured for some years until a storm in 1919 did serious damage to the sea

wall and the repairs were used to enlarge Bishop’s Pool and build a Kiddies’ Pool at its
beach end. A third pool, Kalk Bay Pool, 30 m x 24 m x 1.8 m deep was built in 1922 on

the seaward side of the sea-wall (built in 1914). (Fig. 1.56.)