Page 209 - KBHA BULLETIN 6

opposite Holy Trinity to build "Stonehaven". It stood empty for a while, whereafter the

railways hired it to the postal authorities and for many years it was the Post Office at Kalk

Bay.

As far back as 1853 a deputy postmaster was appointed to Kalk Bay as the local population
became more sophisticated and used the mail service. The Royal Mail coach used to call

here twice a week en route from Cape Town to Simon’s Town. It called every Tuesday and
Friday returning the following day to Cape Town. After a while the Post Office moved to a

shop across the road alongside Miss Gell’s and it was then that the Railways used the old

church building as a rest-room.

The building was finally demolished in 1927 when the railway line was doubled. The other

building, the home of the catechist, apparently was bought by Thomas Cutting circa 1860,
and converted into his home prior to his death in April 1877. What is certain is that in 1883

the Cape Government Railways bought his home from his widow and converted it into the
Kalk Bay Railway Station building. This explains why the station building has two

chimneys – a unique feature in Cape Government Railway stations. It is also of note that
Kalk Bay Station was one of the few, if not the only, station that opened on the same day as

the railways arrived – May 1883 – simply because the building had been there all the time!

References

Tredgold, A. (1985) Bay Between the Mountains, Human & Rousseau, Cape Town.

Walker, M. J. (2002) Kalk Bay - A Place of Character. Published privately.

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