Page 84 - KBHA BULLETIN 4

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‘Villa Capri’, St. James

Derek Stuart-Findlay

The house and whaling

The land between the old military lines at Muizenberg and the later Seahurst Hotel originally

consisted of two farms. The southern one was owned by J. H. Muller and the northern one by C.
W. Langerman. The property known as Villa Capri consisted of two erven within the southern

portion, erven 88438 & 88439, and they ran at right-angles from Main Road far up the

mountainside on either side of what is today Capri Road.

Muller was a fisherman and a whaler and in 1812 he advertised for eight ‘work slaves’ for his
whale factory. ‘Villa Capri’, his home, was probably built before 1820. (Fig. 3.18.) The house

itself is built on flat ground next to a perennial stream that runs out onto Danger Beach. The
house was well positioned for the launching of boats from Danger Beach and for bringing whales

ashore on the sloping reef known as the Point. (Fig. 3.19.) The long cellar under the house could

have housed at least two whale boats during the off-season. Until some years ago there was still a
pile of whale bones behind the house. The house ‘Nunsacre’, opposite ‘Villa Capri’ in Capri

Road, was built on the site of the whaling station stables.

J. H. Muller’s son-in-law was Robert Langley. He was an Englishman who had come from
America as a whalerman and decided to stay at Kalk Bay. In 1853 he retired and advertised for

sale “two copper-fastened whale-boats, harpoons and other equipment, two keel boats, salting

tubs, anchors and other articles.” In effect this was the end of whaling at St. James.

Villa Capri Estate was sub-divided progressively and ‘Villa Capri’ itself passed through a
succession of owners. It remained within the Findlay family for seventy-five years from 1887 –

1962. In 1929 the front of the house was modified through the addition of a central flight of steps

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