Page 236 - Bulletin 8 2004

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burnt down and was replaced by a new building which incorporated the annex. With the
decline of the hotel trade the Homestead Hotel closed and the building was bought by the

SA Navy for the Swans, and is now the Junior Ratings Mess.

The oldest remaining building in Fish Hoek is the original barn of the Fish Hoek Farm,

which is now two cottages, known as Mountain View, on Cottage Lane behind Calder’s
King Hotel. Main Road at that time ran between the farmhouse and barn before crossing

the railway and turning up the hill to Simon’s Town. (Fig. 5.3).

The beginnings of the town

In December 1917 it was announced that Fish Hoek was to be laid out as a residential

resort and the sale of the first plots took place on 24 April 1918. (Fig. 5.4). Very soon
nearly 3 000 plots had been sold, and further large sales occurred on 18 December 1920

(Fig. 5.5), and in 1929. What we now know as Clovelly was sub-divided in 1902 and

plots marketed in what was called Mayville Estate. It was not very popular and it was not
until it was taken over by Clovelly Estates in 1920, and plots marketed at a sale on 18

December 1920 that it became more popular. (Fig. 5.6).

Many properties began as weekend shacks and were later converted to permanent
structures. In 1920 Mr. Rice built his imposing house on top of the little hill west of

today’s BP garage, on the corner of de Waal Road and Third Avenue. This was regarded

as living beyond the pale as no one expected Fish Hoek to ever reach that area! At that
time most development was taking place on the hillside and towards Fifth Avenue, so his

house became known as Rice’s Folly. It eventually became a hotel, then flats and was
demolished in the 1970s to be replaced by an ugly block of flats.

By the 1930s quite a lot of building had taken place and the hexagonal pattern of the

town plan was starting to fill out. This unusual layout has always made Fish Hoek a very