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The
name Hout Bay is not really the anglicized version of the
Afrikaans Houtbaai (Wood Bay) but rather a shortening
of the original Dutch "Houtbayken". The
name is derived from what Jan van Riebeeck recorded in his
journal after his visit in 1653: "The forests
are the finest in the World and contain timber as long,
thick and straight as one would wish".
The mountainous terrain and road building hazards accounted
for the delay in the extension of the wagon road from Kirstenbosch,
which reached Hout Bay in 1693, some 40 years after van
Riebeeck's first visit.
 The
patches of forest in Hout Bay were preserved a little longer
by their inaccessibility, but the woodcutters were soon
at work in the moist valley bottom below. From the nearby
anchorage, the wood was shipped around the Mountain to Table
Bay. The forests, never extensive, lasted barely a generation.
Though trees now cover large areas of the mountain slopes
once again, they are mostly of exotic species.
As Table Bay was unsafe during gale force North Westerly
winds, the anchorage in Hout Bay supplied alternative safe
shelter for ships.
 Today,
Hout Bay is the headquarters of the crayfishing fleet which
provides a rich export trade. Large catches of snoek during
June and July cause much activity in the bay.
 On
the Eastern side of the bay, mounted on a rock, is the fascinating
bronze leopard of Ivan Mitford-Barberton, who's studio used
to be in the village.
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Until recently, Chapman's Peak Drive, was one of the World's most
spectacular passes and was one of the Cape's greatest tourism drawcards.
Alas, due to the massive bush fires of 2000, for the time being it
is closed, but see what the Hout Bay Heritage Trust is doing to create
an Environmental Tourism Development Plan in their own community to
turn a setback into a success which will capture the imagination of
South African and overseas visitors alike.
The "Consent" by Peter Bilas (courtesy
Clive Rae). This magnificent painting gives us a glimpse of
what John Chapman must have experienced and what Hout Bay must
have been like almost 400 years ago. |
Who
was Chapman?
John
Chapman was the Ship's Mate of the British ship "Consent"
who, in a small boat, landed ashore on what we know today as Hout
Bay's beach, on the 27th July 1607. He quickly established that
the Bay was in fact a safe anchorage and that fresh water was available,
but probably little else.
It was dusk and he had to return to his becalmed ship lying off
the majestic cliff we know today as the Sentinel. What he did not
know was that he had stumbled across a "Garden of Eden"
which even to this day ranks as one of the most beautiful bays on
Earth.
The subsequent charts described the Bay as "Chapman's Chaunce"
and it was only after Jan van Riebeeck's arrival from Holland, some
50 yrs later, that it became known as Hout Baeitjen and eventually
Hout Bay. However, the name "Chapman" has remained to
this day associated with the imposing mountain we now know as Chapmans
Peak.
Chapman's
Peak Scenic Drive May 1922 - a scene of jubilation - now a
scene of desolation. (Courtesy Hout Bay Museum). |
Why
was Chapman's Peak Scenic Drive built in the first place?
On the 6th May 1922 the Governor General of the Union of South Africa
officially opened Chapman's Peak Scenic Drive. It was the firm belief
of Sir Frederic de Waal, Administrator of the Cape and the driving
force behind Chapmans Peak Drive, that Tourists would one day abandon
Egypt and spend three months of the year in Cape Town, and the new
spectacular road was one of the ways to entice the international
travellers of the day to spread their interests and wealth to South
Africa.
In December 1999, a falling rock resulted in a tragic loss of life.
Cape Town's South Peninsula Municipality immediately took steps
to remove loose rocks by "rock barring" but shortly after
in January 2000, the worst veld fires ever experienced in living
memory, damaged the mountain further rendering the scenic drive
completely unsafe and led to its inevitable closure.
Chapman's
Peak Scenic Drive
The road to nowhere - or is it the start of a completely new
tourism chapter ? © D Cowley |
Where
are we now?
What started as a maintenance exercise soon became a major reconstruction
challenge with an estimated price tag of possibly R100M or more.
Hout Bay was traditionally a rural fishing village but in recent
years de Waal's prophecy has been partially realised. Until its
recent closure, Chapman's Peak Drive was high on the the list of
destinations for our overseas tourists; the closure has been a calamity
for tourism in the area extending along the entire Western seaboard.
Business has seen a 30% decline, and for some it has been the end
of the road. What can be done?
After
extensive thought and discussion, the Hout Bay Heritage Trust have
given birth to an embryo project which could turn disaster into
success, resulting in a greatly enhanced experience for our tourists
and at the same time providing a first class educational experience
for our children. The Trust is convinced that Chapmans Peak's closure
is not a disaster but probably a blessing in disguise, opening the
way to the transformation of tourism in our community.
East
Fort - from a Cape Times photograph c.1920 . |
Chapman's
Peak's Historic Fort
On the Northern slopes of Chapmans Peak is an old Fort which predates
the 1922 scenic drive by over 130 years. Established at the time
when the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was undergoing a rapid decline,
the fortifications were built for them by a French mercenary regiment
from India who had already constructed a battery of 20 pieces of
cannon at West Fort at the western extremity of the Bay. The forts
exchanged their colonial command on more than one occasion until
they were abandoned around 1826.
Like Chapmans Peak Drive, the Forts suffered the ravages of time
and neglect and by the time the picture opposite was taken early
in the 20th century, the 1796 blockhouse had already extensively
collapsed, its timbers having long since decayed.
Some
of the fire damage of Jan 2000 © D Cowley |
The
Heritage Trust 's Millennium Pledge
In January 2000, the 1781 VOC gun battery was severely damaged by
fire, the timber carriages of some of the guns being totally destroyed
as the picture opposite shows.
The year 2000 brought to a close a millennium of technological advance
but also a millennium of terrible social exploitation in our country.
The twentieth century also saw massive environmental destruction
world-wide on a hitherto unprecedented scale.
On behalf of the community, the Hout Bay Heritage Trust pledged
its resolve to turn the tide and see how, as a community, they could
turn their energy towards constructive projects to make their environment
and community, a better place by building community pride. After
the year 2000 fires, the restoration of the East Fort guns with
their tourism potential seemed to be a worthy challenge.
The East Fort Gate Project is born.
Whilst the Hout Bay Heritage Trust knew that saving the East Fort
cannons would be a fine gesture towards the preservation of our
heritage, they soon realised that what was really needed was much
more, in fact a Major Tourism attraction, which would bring money
into the community, creating jobs and opportunities. They also realised
that the Cape Peninsula National Park needed greater exposure close
to Cape Town on the country's prime tourism artery. The solution
was clear - East Fort had to be restored as a "Living Museum",
a new Gate into the National Park had to be created in combination,
and this could be possible if the toll facility was located nearby,
the synergy of all three could make the East Fort Gate project a
reality and a heritage tourism attraction of international significance.
To
read more about this project, click here to visit the Hout Bay &
Llundadno Heritage Trust website
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