Lighthouses of Cape Town
Milnerton Lighthouse. Photo courtesy Ian Junor
If pharology (the study of lighthouses) brings a twinkle to your eye, there are 10 places along the Cape coast where you’ll find them. The precursors to today’s modern automated lighthouses were large fires set on the water’s edge to warn sailors that they were approaching land. The Egyptians were the first to build lighthouses. They also constructed the tallest lighthouse ever built, a 274m beacon that guided ships for more than 1 500 years. Lighthouses were also built by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans.
A number of lighthouses are now open to the public for a small entrance fee and tours are conducted by the lighthouse keepers.
Milnerton Lighthouse is a 21m white concrete tower that dates back to 1960. The lighthouse can be found in the Cape Town suburb of Milnerton on the West Coast, en route to Cape Columbine. It stands sentinel over the panoramic view of Table Mountain, with Table Bay in the foreground.
The small stretch of coastline from Green Point to Milnerton has seen the demise of more ships than any other coastline in South Africa, with 150 shipwrecks recorded over the past few centuries.
The only rock lighthouse on the South African coast is the 1861 Roman Rock Lighthouse, a circular cast-iron tower. It occupies a position atop Roman Rock, at the entrance to the historical naval harbour of Simon’s Town.
This lighthouse is unique, as it was built on a single large rock that is exposed at low tide, but covered at high tide. It took four years to complete the installation of the prefabricated cast-iron tower, which was sent out from England.
The Roman Rock Lighthouse stands proudly today, having defied the southeasterly gales and surging seas that have battered it for 142 years. In 1919, an automated lighting system was installed and the lighthouse keeper was retired from his inhospitable home. Today the lighthouse continues to emit one flash every six seconds over the waters of False Bay to guide the country’s naval vessels home.
At 33m from base to balcony, the Slangkop Lighthouse at Kommetjie is the tallest cast-iron tower on the South African coast.
Commissioned in 1919, the lighthouse looks out over the surfers, fishermen and divers in the seaside village of Kommetjie and remains a familiar landmark along the road from Cape Point. The walkway from the Kom – the sea basin, called a kommetjie (“little bowl”), from which the village gets its name – to the lighthouse provides a good viewing spot for offshore sea birds, such as albatrosses, petrels and Cape gannets.
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Walking in Cape Town
Many visitors want to explore nature on higher ground as soon as they arrive in Cape Town and with Lion’s Head and Table Mountain beckoning, many do get to experience the local flora and fauna on foot. However, the entire peninsula can be enjoyed by avid walkers. From Blouberg Beach, with its picture perfect views from its sandy shores, to the more adventurous guided Hoerikwaggo Trails along the spine of Table Mountain, visitors have an expanse of ground to cover.
Castle Military Museum
The Castle Military Museum is housed in the oldest building in South Africa, the Castle of Good Hope, which was declared a national monument in 1936.
The Castle Military Museum is a tribute to the brave regiments of the past, providing an insight into the political history of the country and celebrating the rich military history of the Cape. Then Minister of Defence Joe Modise officially opened the Castle Military Museum on August 1, 1995.
South African Rugby Museum
Cape Town sport enthusiasts are lucky enough to live in the city that is home to the South African Rugby Museum. Located just a drop kick away from the Newlands Rugby Stadium in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, home of the Stormers, the South African Rugby Museum is a full of tokens, collector’s items, memorabilia and history of one of the country’s most watched sports.
Historic buildings and architecture in Cape Town
As the oldest city in South Africa, Cape Town boasts a number of historical buildings, many of which are still in use today and open to visitors. The city’s architecture is a testament to the many varying influences in South Africa’s unique history.
Art galleries in Cape Town
More than 100 art galleries – as diverse as the colours daubed on an artist’s palette – await discovery in and around Cape Town.
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