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The first years of the young man’s stay in Cape Town are not relevant for this story.

However, it is important to mention that due to the reluctance of the local English-speaking
community to make the slightest effort to pronounce the phonetic Greek surnames, many of

these early immigrants either anglicised their names or changed them completely. Why John

chose “Rudolphe” is not known for certain, but, as he was a very handsome young man, it is
a family joke that he fancied himself another Rudolph Valentino.

The Shop on Main Road St. James

In 1941 John bought the property at St. James from his uncle George Stavropoulos, having

already been resident in it since June 1930, when George Stavropoulos had bought the entire
property from B. Hudson. The plot of land on which the property was situated was part of a

state grant to:

(a) Carel Willem Langerman in 1822. The land was then passed on to, presumably, his son

and heir:

(b) Carel George Langerman in 1825. A further transaction took place when the insolvent
estate of the late C. G. Langerman was passed on to:

(c) Pieter Francois Hugo in 1840. A further transaction took place when the whole parcel of

land was passed on to:
(d) Abraham Auret in 1886. Once again the entire piece of land was transferred from the

estate of the late A. Auret to:

(e) Benjamin Hugh Hudson in 1903. It was at this time according to the Building Survey
Office in Cape Town that the shops and house were built. (Figs. 5.29 – 5.31.) Both the house

plus shop were transferred to:

(f) George Stavropoulos in 1930. At this stage John and Winnifred Mary (nee Linnegar)
Rudolphe were appointed to manage the business and eventually took transfer from G.

Stavropoulos.
(g) John Rudolphe in 1941.

The shop (Fig. 5.32). was managed by John and Winnifred (Fig. 5.33) from 1931 to 1977 and
remained a shop during the entire period. The middle shop (eventually the Tea Room) was,

according to several persons, a court house for the Simon’s Town or Muizenberg