Once upon a time, Chapman’s Bay was known as Chapman’s Chaunce. This name change happened because of a simple twist of fate. In 1607, a British ship called the Contest was stuck in Hout Bay. The skipper sent his pilot John Chapman ashore. He wanted to find supplies. Chapman recorded the bay as Chapman’s Chaunce. It meant Chapman’s Chance. The name stuck. It became official on East India charts.
Now, let’s fast forward to the early 1920s. Sir Nicolas Fredrick de Waal was in charge of the Cape Province. He wanted to build a road connecting Cape Town and the Southern Suburbs. This became De Waal Drive and it was a success. De Waal then wanted a road from Hout Bay to Noordhoek.
Two routes were considered in 1910. One went over the lower land between Chapman’s Peak and Noordhoek Peaks. The other went along the sea cliffs. Surveying the cliff route was dangerous in 1914. The cliffs were steep and unstable. Surveyors sometimes had to crawl. The mountain route seemed just as bad. The project looked expensive and impossible.
De Waal did not give up. He ordered the road to be built along the cliffs. The road was planned carefully. Its surface was based on 630-million-year-old granite. Cuttings were carved from softer Malmesbury sediments.
In 1915, convict labor built the road. They started from Hout Bay. Work began from Noordhoek the next year. The first part of the road opened in 1919.
The whole road took seven years. It cost 20000 pounds. Prince Arthur of Connaught opened the Hout Bay-Noordhoek Road on May 6, 1922. People called it hewn out of the stone face of Sheer Mountain.
In 1962, the road was widened. In 1977, part of it washed away. The road closed on May 14. A bridge replaced the damaged section. It cost R150 000.
In 1994, Noel Graham was hurt in a landslide on Chapman’s Peak Drive. He sued the Cape Metropolitan Council. In 1999, the court ruled against the council. The Supreme Court agreed in 2000. The council had to pay claims and costs.
Safety became a big concern. The South Peninsula Municipality put up rockfall warning signs in 1999. They closed the road when it rained. It stayed closed until staff said it was safe.
In December 1999, a falling rock killed a Noordhoek resident. In January 2000, Lara Callige died in a rockfall. A passenger was badly hurt. The road was closed indefinitely by the government.
From 2000 to 2003, the road was improved. Loose rocks were removed to make the slopes safer. This was called rock-barring. The work took longer and cost more than expected. An environmental management plan was created. It focused on safety.
Chapman’s Peak Drive reopened as a toll road on December 20, 2003. It became a tourist destination again. Local businesses were happy.
In 2004, heavy rains caused debris slides and rockfalls. The road closed for 55 days. Catch fences were damaged. They had to be replaced.
In June 2008, Chapman’s Peak Drive closed again. It needed major upgrades and repairs. It reopened on October 9, 2009. Since then, it has stayed open. Closures only happen for maintenance or bad weather.
Below Chapman’s Peak Drive is a bronze leopard. It sits on a rock. Ivan Mitford-Barberton sculpted it. It remembers the wildlife that once lived there. The last leopard was seen on Little Lion’s Head in 1937.
Even today, Chapman’s Peak Drive can be dangerous. In April 2023, a woman drove off the road. She fell 180 meters. Teams worked together to rescue her.
Chapman’s Peak Drive continues to be a place of beauty and risk. It is a testament to human ingenuity and the power of nature.