Here stands the Historical Lime Kiln. It whispers tales of a Cape Town long past. Imagine burghers traveling along the coast. They gathered shells and firewood. Their destination was Kalk Bay. They sought to fuel these very lime kilns.
Lime production was vital. It began with Jan van Riebeeck in 1653. He erected the first lime kiln. Building lime was an urgent necessity for the early settlers.
These Historical Lime Kilns played a crucial role. Kalk Bay became a hub. Ox-wagons delivered stores here. This made it the center of return traffic to Cape Town. Lime burning thrived due to this efficient transport. Fish was also transported. Hundreds of tons made their way back to the city.
The kilns you see before you were not alone. Three such kilns once stood in Mowbray. Sadly they were demolished. They made way for a garage. Each kiln boasted a unique chimney. This indicated different construction periods.
Some kilns had inverted funnel chimneys. These likely began as open cylinders. Chimneys were added later. Another kiln featured a truncated cone chimney. It was probably built in that form. It likely came later than the others.
Each kiln had a door at its base. It was located just above the cylinder’s top. Kilns were filled through these openings. They were then bricked up. They were sealed before firing.
Consider the coastal strip. It stretched from Muizenberg to Kalk Bay in 1786. Kalk Bay was more than just a fishing area. It was a ferry point. Small boats used it when Simon’s Bay became the winter anchorage. The coastal road was unsatisfactory.
Interestingly no permanent buildings existed here. This was between 1740 and 1795. Travelers like Percival Semple and Ewart mention Kalk Bay by name. But they do not mention dwellings. They do not mention buildings. Kalk Bay’s importance waned. The road to Simon’s Town improved. This was under British rule. Its importance only returned with the Filipino settlers. They arrived in the mid-1840s.
These Historical Lime Kilns stand as silent witnesses. They saw Kalk Bay’s evolution. They saw it from a vital resource hub to a fishing village. They remind us of early industry. They remind us of resourcefulness.