Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

About 2 Hours

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is an eclectic mix of heritage buildings, maritime history, and stories about the lengths the British went to, to create this working harbour. 

fishing-industry

This historical walking tour takes you on a journey from the early 19th century,  English occupation, and the urgent need to develop some sort of harbour at the Cape.  The port was becoming busier; there was an increasing number of shipwrecks, and the governor Sir George Grey was under pressure to look at constructing a breakwater, the early stages of a sheltered port for the arriving ships.  Convict labour, the histories of the fishing and agricultural industries along with the discovery of diamonds and gold and the opening of the Suez Canal are just some of the events impacting the development of the harbour in stages.

We will meet at a convenient spot on the Waterfront and proceed on foot from there.

Sites of interest may include:

  • Treadmill : story of convict labour
  • Breakwater Prison
  • Time Ball: Mariner’s time keeping & calibrating their navigation instruments (chronometers)
  • Breakwater: ceremonial throwing of the foundation stones by Prince Alfred 1860
  • Jetty One Museum: original jetty to transport prisoners/staff/visitors to Robben Island
  • Union Castle Building: main shipping line bringing the mail and vacationers during the 20th century
  • Troopships in the port (WW1 & WW2)
  • Nobel Square: memorial art tribute to our four Nobel Peace Prize winners
  • Art installations around the Waterfront
  • Robinson Dry Dock and the creation of the different basins
  • Clock Tower: the first harbour master’s office
  • History of the fishing industry
  • Silo District: the history of the agricultural industry and today the Museum of Contemporary African Art
  • Makers Landing: Duncan Dock (container and cruise terminals)

Tour Highlights

View of the Victora & Alfred Waterfront
View of the Victora & Alfred Waterfront
The Treadmill
stories about convict labour who laid the foundations for the building of the harbour
The Clock Tower
the first office for the harbour master in the late 19th century
The original office for the Union-Castle shipping line
with an art mosaic of their routes
The Time Ball
one of the most important inventions in maritime history, time keeping so navigators could re-calibrate their chronometers
The harbour master’s office
at the top of the tower since the 1970s, managing all vessels entering and leaving the harbour
The Waterfront space
is shared with a variety of marine life
Nobel Square
a tribute to our four Nobel Peace Prize winners
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI)
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a free rescue service for everyone, whether you are a fisherman, swimmer, surfer or have fallen off a superyacht.
Jetty One museum
the original jetty from where the political prisoners, staff and visitors left from the Waterfront to Robben Island
The Silo
the history of the agricultural industry and today the Musuem of Contemporary African Art. A true success story of heritage preservation.

Let’s talk.

Use this form to make an enquiry about a walking tour.

I look forward to hearing from you 🙂