Milnertonian

On 18 November 1904, one of the directors of Milnerton Estates, Julius Weil, told a meeting of the board, “It is generally understood that it will be in the interests of Milnerton to have a racecourse.” An application was made to the Jockey Club for a licence and approaches were also made to the senior body in the country, the South African Turf Club. The Jockey Club at first refused, but the South African Turf Club responded in an encouraging fashion, even appointing a sub-committee to deal with the proposal. A sub-committee was also set up at Milnerton, consisting or Messrs. Langerman, Marais and Martin, and the two groups met for a working lunch on 12 December 1904. Agreement in principle was reached and early in 1905 a suitable tract of land was found on the farm Rietvlei. JWS (Willie) Langerman Promising though the situation appeared, there were unforeseen hitches. More than a year passed before a notification was received that the Stewards of the South African Turf Club would hol...

Besides the wrecks of the Nieuwe Haerlem , the Oosterland and De Jonge Thomas (already mentioned in previous blogs), there were two ships wrecked directly off Milnerton beach. A short walk north along Milnerton beach  reveals both shipwrecks in the surf zone. About a kilometre along the beach, you will come across the massive boilers of the Hermes  in the surf. The  Hermes  was a Houston liner of some 3,500 tons, built in 1899. Under the command of Captain Grose, she was en route from Argentina to Cape Town with a large cargo of livestock, forage and some government supplies. In addition to her crew complement, there were 11 passengers bound for South Africa. When she arrived in Table Bay on 12  May 1901, the harbour was full, and she was forced to drop anchor for the night. A north westerly gale came up, she dragged her anchors, and by 02h00, she was being driven towards the shore. It took a while for the captain to recognise the danger, but when he or...

  In November 1928, Sir David Graaff offered to purchase property on the “island” between the lagoon and the sea. His intention was to erect a high-class private residential property at an estimated cost of £10,000 as practical proof of his confidence in Milnerton Estates and in the belief that such development should provide an incentive to development generally. The architects were Messrs Waldgate and Elsworth and the builders Messrs H. Wier & Co.   The gracious Mediterranean-style mansion  was built by Italian artisans in 1929. It  offers over 1000m² of living space, including   five grand reception rooms and seven bedrooms, plus a wine cellar, private gym, large country kitchen and a private boardwalk which supplies direct access to the beach. Garaging is provided for eight vehicles, and there is a separate guest cottage plus two staff quarters on the property. The substantial garden is watered by computerised irrigation and includes a large swimm...

In February 1907, the Board of Milnerton Estates considered the time premature to establish a school, notwithstanding approaches made by residents who were parents of young children to Dr Thomas Muir, Superintendent-General of Education for Cape Colony. The first school in Milnerton was opened by Miss Baker in 1910, with 25 pupils on the roll. The school was situated in a boathouse at the mouth of the lagoon. This was divided into two classrooms. There was no electricity in the building so candles and oil-lamps were used. The medium of instruction was English until Mrs du Preez joined the staff to teach in Afrikaans.   The lagoon mouth before development. The remains of the weir are on the left. Then, in 1916, came official recognition of the “Public School”, with Miss Prowse appointed the new principal. W. Miller replaced her in 1917, before Mrs M. Skinner took over as principal i n 1920. A former pupil of this school, Charlie Theron, remembers being taught by Mrs Jurgens. The...

After the Dutch Reformed Church had purchased a site in Ysterplaat for the erection of a church in 1904, the Roman Catholics and Anglicans also submitted requests to the Board of Milnerton Estates.  St Oswald's Anglican Church The Anglicans acquired a plot in Jansen Road, “adjoining Mr Greig’s Grocery Store”, on which it was in December 1907 “proposed to erect a small hall, in which to hold Sunday School and an occasional Service”. To the credit of the Board, Milnerton Estates agreed to make over the land free of charge. It was the Anglicans, therefore, in 1912, who were the first to build a church in Milnerton, on the corner of what became known as Park Avenue and Jansen Road. It was named for St Oswald, an English saint. The original St Oswald's Church (painting by Winnie McPherson) The church was capable of accommodating about 80 congregants and was consecrated in 1913. At first, St. Oswald’s was an outstation of St. Anne’s Maitland, and Revd O. J. Hogarth conducted services...