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“Bachelors desirous of mating and spending a sporting weekend could do no better than

enjoy the comforts of King’s Hotel.”

Thus a “Wild West” situation existed now at the Kalk Bay hotels. Standards were low,

drunkenness high, prostitution not uncommon, health hazards prevailed, and the quiet little
fishing village was now a vibrant harbour port with all the known evils well in place.

The Wynberg Times carried regular articles complaining of the bad behaviour, rowdiness and
hooliganism that was evident in Kalk Bay. The quality and standard of King’s Hotel dropped

dramatically and it was not surprising to see that on 31 December 1889 Charles King sold his

hotel to Ohlssons Cape Breweries. In 1904 Messrs A. D. and G. W. Calder were the
proprietors running the hotel on behalf of Ohlssons. This marked the start of a long

association between the King’s Hotel and the Calder family. Ohlssons’ ownership lasted

some twenty-six years until they sold the hotel in September 1916 to the Kalk Bay Hotel Co.
(Pty) Ltd., of which the Calders were prominent shareholders.

The Masonic Hotel

If King’s Hotel was bad, it had nothing on the Masonic. Here the local and younger

fishermen, who were neither skippers nor leading crew members, drank. The saloon bar doors
opened directly onto the Main Road and it was a constant hive of activity. (Fig. 4.13.) It was

sold in the deceased estate of Robert Langley to Ohlssons Cape Breweries in 1889 and at best

its occupancy consisted of four upstairs bedrooms. It had all the ingredients of the wildest of
the Wild West and all facilities were most basic.

The Majestic Hotel

The Masonic was demolished around 1918 much to the relief of the many church leaders in
Kalk Bay, and in its place was erected the Majestic Hotel which was operating by 1919. The

dressed quarry stone public bar on the Main Road (Die Klipkantientjie) replaced the Masonic

Hotel, while the new hotel itself was constructed on a terrace back from the Main Road. It
was built by the Union Castle Shipping Company to handle the overflow from the Mount

Nelson Hotel in Cape Town as well as to cater for those overseas patrons who found the