A History of the V&A Waterfront

As the oldest harbour in South Africa the Port of Cape Town has a rich history and if the harbour walls could talk they would have more than a few stories to tell. Given that the city was built primarily to service merchant ships and was thus built from the harbour up. Despite its current cosmopolitan and industrial status it truly is a shipping town. Known historically as the Tavern of the Seas, it has long had an association with sailors as a place to break a long stint at sea. Known contradictorily as the Cape of Good Hope and The Cape of Storms, Cape Town is a place that has been a part of ocean folklore for generations.

The name the Cape of Storms was the name given to the whole peninsula by sailors and merchants as it was well known for the treacherous conditions of the waters around the point, it was thus that the Cape of Good Hope got its name as the natural harbour of Table Bay provided refuge from the violent waters and weather. Cape Town became known has the Tavern of the Seas for its reputation as a place to stop off and escape the storms and set foot on dry land for the first time in what might have been weeks.

Today the Table Bay harbour is still a place populated by overseas visitors but for very different reasons, the glittering shopping mall and tourist attractions are still the shining light in a storm that the port used to be only now it attracts starry eyed tourists desperate to shop and take advantage of their foreign currency. They have very seldom actually arrived by sea, as despite all the facilities the V&A Waterfront still sadly lacks decent cruise ship berthing, although this set to change.

The V&A Waterfront, which was established over a decade ago, is the most recent development in a harbour that has been growing and changing since the first settlers arrived in Cape Town to set up the refreshment station. The city was established with the merchant ships of the Dutch East India Company in mind and has maintained its strong links with sea and sailors. Besides the Cape Town harbour there is also the naval base in Simonstown which is an established part of Cape Town, There are also numerous smaller fishing harbours around the peninsula.

Being a peninsula it is obvious that there is strong tangible connection to the sea, what is remarkable however, is that while Cape Town has grown as a strong economic and cosmopolitan city the sea going trades have not just become a quaint after thought. The big fisheries maintain warehouse and shipping in the Cape Town harbour and the dry docks are as busy and active as any around the world.