Page 134 - Bulletin 22 2019

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alterations and was finally sold by Ada Pinder to Thomas Travers Smith in 1951. (Figs. 3.25 &

3.26.)

Cornerof Harris and Clairvaux Roads

The houses standing at the corner of Harris and Clairvaux Roads (3 Clairvaux Rd and 2 and 4

Harris Road) have an interesting history. (Fig. 3.27.)

The erven (89967 and 89968) were carved off the massive land holding of the Wicht estate and
bought by Henry Hamilton Jones in 1892. He had also bought what came to be called Hamilton

House in St. James. He was a well-known and prosperous auctioneer who traded under the title
H. Jones & Co. One of his specialties was the auctioning of shipwrecks one of which was the

trawler Rex which was wrecked off Kalk Bay in 1903. In 1897 Jones sold to Gerhard van Blerk
who sold on to Otto Edward Ludwig Struck in 1901. He was a German butcher and manager of

the Kalk Bay butchery owned by Tregidga & Co. (Fig. 3.28.)

Plans for two identical semi-detached houses were drawn for Otto Struck by the architect

William Schwartzkopf in 1901. (Figs. 3.29 & 3.30.) Unfortunately, Otto died unexpectedly on 29
October 1902 aged only 42. This was a tragedy as he left his wife Janet Elizabeth with seven

children and two unfinished cottages in Harris Road, both mortgaged. There were problems with
the death notice which showed the wrong date of death. And there were problems with the

mortgage on the Harris Road property which had been granted incorrectly and had to be reissued.

Janet Struck must have faced enormous difficulties with 7 children and very little money. Her
maiden name was Dalziel and the family had been in Kalk Bay for many years and were staunch

Anglicans. No doubt the community and church would have come to aid of the family. She did

have the usufruct of Colorna – Dudmor (erf 89968), and no doubt rented part of it out along with
the Harris Road houses. By 1925 Janet had married Harry Pritchard Coldrey who was a clerk in

the Prime Minister’s Office. The couple had four children one of whom will be remembered as
the well-known swimming coach Pearl Currie. For years the couple lived in what became known

as Coldrey’s Cottages (erf 89968.) Janet died a widow in 1940 and it was only then that Otto
Struck’s 1902 estate could be finalized. The surviving Struck children shared the proceeds of the