Page 80 - Bulletin 21

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ST. JAMES TO SIMON’S TOWN: THEN AND NOW

Barrie Gasson. Lewis Walter. David Erickson.

Introduction

Some time ago the Fish Hoek Valley Museum came into possession of a set of rare glass

negatives which David Erickson of Simon’s Town Historical Association repaired and
th
th
cleaned electronically. These 19 and early 20 century photos cover the coastal strip from
St. James to Simon’s Town.

The scenes captured by the old photographers have changed with the passage of time and the

purpose of this ‘Then and Now’ is to show these changes. To do so required finding the sites
where the photographer had set up his apparatus. In most cases this was possible, only to then

find that the middle and distant views, that were often the subject of the original photo, had
been obscured by subsequent changes in foreground conditions (new buildings, vegetation,

roads, railways, or harbour works.) On the other hand, mountain silhouettes and coastal

features, and numerous buildings, have remained timeless and enduring. The paired scenes
that follow chronicle the changing scenes.