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Lime kilns operated at Kalk Bay on a large scale as it was the terminus for the ox-wagons returning

to Cape Town. Should the burghers wish to make use of this transport and subsequent sale they
travelled along the coast collecting shells and firewood and returned to Kalk Bay to stoke the lime

kilns. The nature of the coastal strip from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay in 1786 is shown in Fig. 1.3.

Conclusion

During the D. E. I. C. occupation of the Cape (1652 – 1795) Kalk Bay played an important role in a

number of aspects. Firstly, it was a premier fishing area where countless tons of fish were caught and
transported to Cape Town. Fish was the staple diet of many of the slaves. Secondly, Kalk Bay was a

ferry point for the D. E. I. C. small boats once the winter anchorage in Simon’s Bay had been decided

upon, as the road along the coast was most unsatisfactory. Thirdly, with the many ox-wagons making
Kalk Bay the terminus for their delivery of stores Kalk Bay became the centre of return traffic to

Cape Town. This increased the viability of the lime kilns and much lime burning occurred at Kalk
Bay in order to take advantage of the delivery back to Cape Town. This return delivery also handled

hundreds of tons of fish.

Although Kalk Bay was a place of importance and saw much activity from 1740 - 1795 apparently no

permanent buildings were established. This is clear from the accounts of travellers passing along the
coast road like Percival (1804), Semple (1805) and Ewart (1811) who make no mention of dwellings

or buildings being present and refer to it only by name. Once the road to Simon’s Town was
improved under British rule Kalk Bay’s importance, other than as a fishing area, diminished until the

arrival of the Filipino settlers in the mid - 1840s.

References

Bekker, A. E. (1980) The History of False Bay up to 1795, unpublished MA Thesis, University of
Stellenbosch.

Walton, J. (1987) Early Cape Lime-kilns, South African Journal of Culture and Art History, vol. 1,
no. 1, 23 – 35.

Percival, R. (1804) An Account of the Cape of Good Hope, C. & R. Baldwin, London.

Semple, R. (1805) Walks and Sketches at the Cape of Good Hope, C. & R. Baldwin, London.

Ewart, J. (1971) James Ewart’s Journal: Covering his stay at the Cape of Good Hope (1811
– 1814), C. Struik, Cape Town.

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