One of the obvious features of Hermanus history is the large number of famous and well-known people who visited the town during the 20th century. Some came only once, for instance the internationally known English woman pilot, Amy Johnson, who rested for a few days at the Marine after her record-breaking solo flight from London in the 1930s.
Other famous people never settled here for any length of time but came repeatedly. Sir William Hoy is the best example of this. He relaxed here from his work as General Manager of the South African Railways for many years. He loved the fishing and the serene atmosphere of the little village, and stayed at the Marine Hotel on every occasion.
Sir William Hoy (Railways Magazine)
But a few individuals with international reputations settled here and became part of Hermanus life. Perhaps the best known in this category is the novelist Stuart Cloete and his second wife, Mildred West, always known as Tiny. Stuart was already a best-selling author when the couple purchased a farm known then as Wesselshoek, between Stanford and Gansbaai in 1948. They stayed there for five years and in 1952 moved into Hermanus and bought a property at 24 Westcliff Road in Westcliff. They lived there together until Stuart died in 1976, having resided in our town for 38 years. Tiny...
