Page 67 - KBHA BULLETIN 3

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The building was large and occupied most of the plot running back to Lever Street. At the

back of the property were a number of small dwellings occupied by fishermen’s families,
particularly the Thomas family. On entering Kingard House you went along a passage to the

back past the lounge, then library, study, bathroom and toilet, pantry and finally the kitchen,

where a huge coal stove was prominent. Bedrooms were upstairs and the teak stairs creaked
underfoot. The banisters were perfect for children to slide down. The front and back windows

admitting light to the stairwell were made of stained glass, and the morning sun beaming

through the front ones was split into fantastically shaped and coloured shafts of light. Across
Main Road circus trains en route to Simon’s Town would overnight on the siding that ran all

the way towards Dalebrook - quite possibly because at this point they could use the water

from the overhead reservoir from which the steam engines were replenished. Some of the
tamer animals would be let out of their cages and be watered near the turntable. (Malcolm

Lyness, pers. comm.)

After Mr Thiebert’s death the building was bought by the Standard Bank and the application

of the new town planning regulations saw it replaced it with one Kalk Bay’s most forgettable

buildings. The fishing families who had lived in the rear quarters had to move, many to
Steenberg, as Group Areas legislation was being applied.

Castle Hill and Strathmore

Castle Hill and Strathmore are associated with the Calder family who were involved with the

King’s Hotel. Old Alex Calder was a Scot from the John O’ Groats area and came to South
Africa in the late nineteenth century. He settled in Wynberg building a home called

Calderwood near Springfield school. At one time he was mayor of the Wynberg Municipality.

He was a grain and forage merchant by trade and initially made a lot of money supplying
forage from Argentina to the British troops during the Anglo-Boer War. However, the war

ended suddenly and he was left stranded with a shipment he had already paid for, but for
which the British refused to pay. This bankrupted him and he came to Kalk Bay.

Being something of an entrepreneur he entered the fishing business and apparently owned one
of the first steam trawlers, the Rex, which had the distinction of being wrecked on Kalk Bay