Sea Point’s long promenade which runs all the way from Mouille Point to the end of Sea Point is one of the most used and loved public spaces in the city. From early morning till long after sunset all year round the walkway is populated by dog-walkers, joggers and families with kids and prams. Its position beside the moody Atlantic Ocean with her enormous breakers makes it a wonderfully dramatic place to take a stroll. When the tide is high, the ocean crashes over the barrier, dousing runners in sea-spray. During the stormy months of winter, it is often uninhabitable as foamy waves break right up to the grass verge, sometimes extending as far as the road.
While skateboarders, cyclists and canoeists utilise this stretch of the seaboard daily, what many members of the younger generation don’t know is that Sea Point in the 1960s and 1970s was like the Monte Carlo of South Africa. And most of the glamour and fun happened at the Sea Point pools end of the promenade, at a restaurant called The Carousel. Anyone over a certain age will fondly remember this establishment which, right up to the end of the 1980s, was the place to go and to be seen. People have happy memories of playing chess on its oversized chess board, returning for their famous toasted sandwiches, renowned cheesecake and frozen chocolate bananas served in signature silver bowls.
The famous chess board was the spot where surfers would meet before heading out to catch the waves off ‘Broken Baths’ beach, while the adjacent Pavilion restaurant with its outdoor tables and bright umbrellas was popular for frozen lollies and ice cream on hot summer days. People remember, as kids, eating Sunday lunch in their bathing suits fresh from the beach or, after a day’s surfing, heading to the Pavilion for a cup of tea and a game of backgammon. When the Carousel became the Hard Rock Cafe, this was the new place to ‘jol,’ and locals remember how cool and ‘rock n roll’ it was to have a piano suspended from the ceiling. Sadly, these much-loved establishments were demolished when controversial plans to build a mall were passed by the city. The fact that the plans were overthrown after a lengthy legal battle meant that an intrinsic part of Sea Point’s history was preserved; unfortunately, the buildings had already been torn down.
But Sea Point has always been a popular location, and it was the site of much recreational activity in Cape Town around the turn of the century. The swimming baths — with separate bathing areas for men and women — were opened all the way back in 1895. These made use of a centrifugal gas-powered pump to keep the pools full when the tide was out. When a storm in 1911 destroyed the privately owned swimming baths they were never rebuilt (hence the name ‘Broken Baths beach’). Construction of the Sea Point Pavilion began in 1913. Though the area has undergone change over the years, the Sea Point public pools still have a breathtakingly beautiful location. The charming ticket office and changing-rooms date back to 1913, and are relics of a bygone era.
This particular stretch of coastline has seen its share of drama. On 19 May 1954 the South African coaster, the Basuto Coast, on a voyage from Port Nolloth to Cape Town, suffered engine failure and ran aground on the rocks a few meters from the concrete wall of the promenade. A fireman who was trying to assist the crew of the sinking ship was swept off the wall of the adjacent swimming pool and never seen again. Locals remember rushing down to the promenade after school to see the ship which was so close you could almost touch it.
Sea Point’s Pavilion, which is now an open area used for salsa dancing, takeaways and to catch your breath and gaze out at the sea after a cycle or a run, is still a popular meeting place, though the teenagers who used to meet here to do the ‘Bop’ are long gone, relegated to the mists of time. For many, the Carousel holds happy memories of a time when things were simpler; when life was about flinging yourself off the rocks without stopping to think because you knew that the water would be fine.
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.
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Photos: Thanks to Graham Sonnenberg