Page 127 - Bulletin 19 2015

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which was between the house and the flats (erf 89624). His wife, Florence Anny Ovenstone
inherited False Bay House and False Bay Flats and owned them until 1991.

Millwood

The next building along the Main Road is known today as Millwood (on erf 89619, 16 Main
Road). It is not shown on the 1897 topo-cadastral plan and first appears on the 1900 plan

(Fig. 3.4) where it is incorrectly labelled as belonging to F G Mills, instead of Frederick
James Mills. The building footprint and an old photo show it to have been a single storey

building with single gable-end and bay window, and a roofed front stoep. Behind the main

building is a property (on erf 89620) in the name of Henry William Mills – the brother of
Frederick.

These properties had passed through the hands of many owners over the years since being
bought by O J Truter in 1842. The Rev. P E Faure, Maderose, Glynn, and Charles King had

all owned it before what became Millwood was bought by Brown Lawrence in 1893. (Fig.

3.15.) He was an Irish entrepreneur born in County Derry. He arrived in Cape Town and
founded Brown Lawrence & Co. It became a major business that included general merchants,

grocers, provision and produce merchants with a huge warehouse in Barrack Street, Cape

Town. The 1883 directory shows Brown Lawrence trading in Muizenberg and Kalk Bay very
early on. It is no surprise to see that he wanted his own premises in the developing Kalk Bay

market. He also owned a house in Muizenberg in 1903. On his death he left funds for the
establishment of the Brown and Annie Lawrence Home in Pinelands.

An early photo of Main Road (Fig. 3.16.) shows the Brown Lawrence advertising sign on the

side of F J Mills Store (later Malherbe’s Building), including the advertisement for Nectar
Tea which also featured prominently on the Barrack Street warehouse. Brown Lawrence is

credited with introducing this tea to South Africa – described as “the cup that cheers and
intoxicates us with the exuberant verbosity with which it sings its praises”.