Page 44 - Bulletin 22 2019

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Bathing machines and beach huts at the Cape

In 1863 a person identifying herself only as ‘A Lady’ wrote in the Cape Monthly Magazine

of 27 February:

“……… at length the sight of the dark blue sea burst upon us, with a delightful salt breeze
to cool our foreheads as we passed through the toll-gate of Muisenberg. The only place
where there is a nice beach is over at Muisenberg, extending from near the toll-gate as far

as the Strand of Somerset West, and there ought to be a large number of bathing machines
In 1897 The Cape Town Guide Illustrated, on page 43, stated:
drawn up in a line, but nothing of the kind is known here.”

In 1897 The Cape Town Guide Illustrated stated on page 43:

“Woodstock is the only place which can boast of having provided its visitors with the
orthodox accommodation for bathers, in the shape of machines, one or two of which are let
out to hire at a nominal charge. It is perhaps due to this fact as well as its nearness to the
metropolis, that it is fairly well patronized during the bathing season, although the water is
somewhat colder than that of False Bay.”

It seems certain that except for Woodstock, with its ‘capital beach’, bathing machines were

absent on Peninsula beaches and so the local story revolves entirely around stationary beach
bathing boxes. (Fig. 2.11) A short history of their rise and decline is illustrated in the graph

(Fig. 2.12) with associated explanations in bullet points below.

 The arrival of the railway at Muizenberg (15/12/1882) and Kalk Bay (5/5/1883)

opened up ‘mass’ access to this coast, driving its popularity and spurring a market in
seaside property.

 The first bathing boxes appeared in 1884-86 at Muizenberg, St. James and Kalk Bay,

and numbers increased by ones and twos into the 1890s. A note under the letterhead
of the Colonial Department of Agriculture (the Department was in charge of land

along the seashore) shows that during the 12 years between 1884 – 1896 it granted
permission to erect a mere 15 boxes: 10 at Muizenberg, 2 at Bickersteth’s / St. James,

and 3 at Kalk Bay. The majority of owners lived ‘up the line’ notably Kenilworth,
Mowbray and Gardens. But after 1896 the growth in numbers was exponential and

locals formed a large proportion of the owners. None were recorded at places south of

Kalk Bay.
 By 1900 there were 64 boxes at Muizenberg, and 22 at St. James and Kalk Bay

combined.