Waterfront

A city steeped in military history gives locals and visitors a glimpse into the past. The abundance of museums and memorials ensure that the city’s military past is remembered.

'Military history is an integral part of the story of Cape Town. Being the oldest city in South Africa, Cape Town has a rich history and the military plays a large part in that story. We cannot erase this history but instead need to preserve it as part of our heritage and an inclusive city. It is interesting to see where and how it all started,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Councillor Eddie Andrews.

The launch of the Military Heritage Route is a part of the City of Cape Town’s culture and heritage strategy. The route, which includes the Castle of Good Hope, the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town, and the Chavonnes Battery Museum, showcases the rich military heritage that Cape Town has to offer Capetonians and visitors.

The map from the launches that happened during September 2016

The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest surviving building in South Africa’s colonial era and has been the centre of civilian, political and military life at the Cape since 1666. It was initially erected as a fort and about 13 years later (1679) was turned into the Castle of...

While paging through an old copy of Bulletin, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa), we came across this short but fascinating article on the origins the Chavonnes Battery. It was written by Mervyn Emms and was published in June 1975.

In 1714 Maurits Pasque de Chavonnes arrived as governor to succeed the Van der Stels. In 1715 he laid the foundation stone of Maurits Battery also known as Water Battery due to its closeness to the water’s edge. Later this became known as the Chavonnes Battery. It had 16 cannon and could enfilade the flanks of ships at anchorage.

Portrait of Maurits Pasque de Chavonnes

It was completed in 1726 and was officially renamed Chavonnes in 1744. Commanded for several years by Sgt Ettienne Barbier who later in 1739 was drawn, quartered and hanged at Roodesand pass where he had commanded a band of outlaws (he had deserted).

In 1781 the battery fired on a Danish ship which was trying to slip out of anchorage with the Port Captain Staaring tied to the mass as security. The ship was suspected of spying and was duly captured.

Painting...

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is one of the great South African adaptive reuse case studies. Below is an in depth article on the work conducted during the first phase of this landmark project (completed 1990/1). The piece appeared in the 1992 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.

The establishment of the historic link between the City of Cape Town and the sea is regarded as a key factor in securing the viability of the city in environmental and cultural terms. The restoration of these historic linkages, the retention of the working harbour, the rehabilitation of individual buildings at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&AW) and the accommodation of adaptive uses are all regarded as conservation activities in the broader sense and thus worthy of the 1991 Cape Times Centenary Medal for conservation and building rehabilitation. 

The Waterfront has also received the Cape Institute of Architects conservation award for the Pierhead & Portswood Precincts while the number of declared national monuments at the Waterfront has risen from three to eighteen.

The V&AW project provides the forum for organised planning action to restore the physical and cultural ties between city and harbour and the means for a variety of development agencies and professional disciplines to operate towards a widely based common goal.

This symbiotic relationship between shared cultural values and goals and the physical framework established...