In a beautifully maintained Victorian house at the end of a sunny lane lives a celebrated cook, author and TV personality. In her dappled garden under a sprawling pomegranate tree is a generous table where friends and neighbours gather on summer evenings to drink Bordeaux and listen to her entertaining stories. She’s been living in her home in Green Point’s ‘village’ since 1985 and knows the neighbourhood well. She has watched its comings and goings and observed the slow gentrification of an area which was, to use her word, ‘rough’ in the extreme.
People over a certain age will remember that Green Point was not always the slick, fashionable suburb it is today. In fact, it was once downright seedy, due in no small part to its proximity to the harbour and the constant influx of sailors. In the eighties, there was no V&A Waterfront and none of the barriers and security that keeps the public out of the harbour today. You could walk from Green Point directly to where the great ships docked, and people frequently did. As she explains, when the canon on Signal Hill fired in succession, this was a sign that something interesting was happening at the docks.
You’d put on your shoes and walk down to see what kind of vessel had come in. Sometimes it was cargo ships, sometimes luxury liners. There was a fish market and all sorts of characters around. “You got used to the different types of people, and we lived side by side,” she says. “We had a homeless couple living directly in front of our house, and there were brothels all over the place. We accepted it. Green Point was just like that.” Today it’s hard to imagine, property prices in this area having sky-rocketed over the past 10 years. Green Point’s ideal location a stone’s throw from the CBD, the Waterfront, the Green Point Park and the promenade have made it a sought-after place to live. Plus, the fact that its houses are north-facing means it has sea views, sun all day and shelter from the Cape’s south-easterly winds.
But – even though it’s trendy now – Green Point still attracts interesting people. The little convenience store on Clyde Road and its adjoining coffee shop have been there for as long as the oldest residents can remember. Now run by a Pakistani family who make the best samoosas in Cape Town (for R5 apiece), it was once owned by a woman called Linda who knew everything there was to know about the area. Next to the till she had a little two-plate stove where she would boil eggs for the ladies of the night who dropped in, hungry and tired, after a long shift.
The adjoining space, which is now Gran’s Coffee Shoppe, used to have pool tables and one of its regulars was a friendly transvestite by the name of Patrick who taught the neighbourhood kids how to play a mean game of pool. By night he could be seen in his dress and wig, waiting for customers. Gran’s Coffee Shoppe is now run by a sweet, unassuming soul called Gary who makes cheesecake and milk-tart that could well be your gran’s. The decor hasn’t changed since the eighties, and it’s so uncool that it’s cool. Acclaimed writers and lawyers breakfast there alongside folk who have clearly fallen on hard times. Everyone is welcome. Under the pomegranate tree with a glass of Bordeaux in hand it’s nice to be reminded that while things change, people stay the same.
Lance Real Estate is based in Fresnaye, Cape Town and covers the Atlantic Seaboard from the Waterfront to Camps Bay. With over 23 years’ experience in the most sought-after residential areas in Africa, Lance Real Estate has sold over R 1 billion worth of properties in the last 3 years.
It is this hands-on knowledge that sets Lance Real Estate apart from our competition. We have built an extensive database of buyers and sellers over the last 2 decades who have grown to trust our market knowledge and depend on us to negotiate the best possible deal in any property negotiation.
We are now extending our reach and taking on houses and apartments for sale from the Waterfront through to Camps Bay.
If you are looking for a remarkable agency to buy, rent or sell your property on the Atlantic Seaboard, our friendly customer care team is a phone call away.
We also have a range of holiday rentals to offer. If you appreciate beautiful African sunsets over the sea and sublime mountain views, then visit our holiday rentals section on our website.
Contact
Email: info@lancerealestate.co
Tel: +27 82 416 6103
Website: http://www.lancerealestate.co
#lancerealestate #capetown #capetownproperty