Page 184 - Bulletin 19 2015

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Europe for a few months. After returning to Cape Town from this escapade she moved to
Gordon’s Bay where she lived for the rest of her life. (Fig. 3.73.)

For the purposes of the history of Petrava, deeds records show that Minnie bought two erven

(erf 88723 and erf 88726) from the City of Cape Town in 1904. She loved Kalk Bay and

perhaps had visions of living high up on the unspoilt mountain side. Nothing much happened
to this then remote piece of land for about 20 years. In 1923 the Council decided that the

ravine forming part of her property would make an ideal site for the convict station to be built
to house workers for the construction of Boyes Drive. (Figs. 3.74 & 3.75.) Minnie Molteno

proved herself to be a shrewd negotiator. Part of the proposed convict station would be built

on her land. She entered into a lease for £7 a month. She was very firm that the site be
levelled and stabilised and that this would require the construction of a retaining wall on the

seaward side of the site with back-filling towards Boyes Drive. This would of course add
considerable value to her property and the wall can clearly be seen in the 1935 aerial photo.

In August 1927 the Architect Builder & Engineer reported that in another few months Boyes

Drive would be complete and Council issued a tender for the removal of the convict station in

January 1929. By then Minnie Molteno was in negotiations with Council to consolidate and
expand her plot. A 1930 plan shows the cause of a difficulty that would affect the site and

surrounding sites for years to come. (Fig. 3.76.) Plans for future roads had been drawn and
road reserves created. These included an extension of Kimberley Road to Boyes Drive and a

proposed road above Upper Quarterdeck Road. These roads were never built and in 1930

Council agreed that the land marked like a large T (about 6,600 square feet) would be
transferred to Minnie and in exchange she would transfer 4,500 square feet (to the left of the

T) to Council. The swop was done to, as Council put it, ‘obviate the necessity for alterations
to the existing retaining walls’ – this of course was the huge terrace they had built. The two

erven (88724 and 88725) were transferred into her name on 20 December 1931.

We have Ian Black to thank for this intricate detail of the various lots that went to make up

the erf on which Petrava came to be built. He has done much very valuable research for us
over the years and this is one of his finest efforts. Without going into too much detail the