Sea Point
Encyclopedia
Sea Point is one of Cape Town
's most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill
and the Atlantic Ocean
, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District
(CBD). Moving from Sea Point to the CBD, one passes through first the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay, then Green Point. Seaward from Green Point is the area known as Mouille Point
, where the local lighthouse is situated.
Sea Point is the only sea-side suburb of Cape Town with significant high-rise development and this, along with other factors, has made it a very popular residential area, or for investing in first or second homes and apartments. Before the most recent surge in property values, the suburb used to be regarded as a dangerous area, in part because some apartment blocks had been neglected by absentee landlords. Many foreign and local investors now see it as a place of urban rejuvenation and there are many Dutch
, German
and British
owners.
people began to buy property. Today Sea Point is home to many ethnic, social and religious groups such as Jews
, gays and Nigerians.
in the south-east, and the Atlantic ocean in the north-west. It is a high density area where space is at a premium due to its prime ocean-side location. Houses are built closely together towards the northern mountainside, while apartment buildings are more common from the central area and toward the beach-front. An important communal space is the beach-front promenade, a paved walkway along the beach-front used by residents and tourists for walking, jogging or socialising. Looking upwards from the promenade towards Lion's Head
and Signal Hill, on either side of Table Mountain
, the suburb's more exclusive areas lie against the upper mountainside along the so-called "Avenues"—connecting roads which lead towards the upper edge of the suburb.
All along the ocean-side of the Sea Point promenade, the coastline has different characteristics. Some parts are rocky and almost inaccessible, other parts have open beaches. Sea Point beach adjoins an Olympic sized seawater swimming pool, another beach further towards the city is known as Rocklands.
Adjoining Sea Point is Three Anchor Bay. Sea Point's beaches are generally covered with washed up mussels from the ocean, unlike the beaches of Clifton
and Camps Bay
. The rocks off the beaches are basalt
ic, with extensive beds of kelp offshore. Unlike the Indian Ocean
side of the peninsula, the water is colder (11ºC - 16ºC).
Further along the coast going towards Clifton, there is a plaque overlooking the rocks which commemorates Charles Darwin's observation of a unique junction where igneous rock
has joined and flowed into granitic rock.
. The ship was gradually destroyed by the huge swells that habitually roll in from the south Atlantic. Salvage from the ship can still be found in local antique shops.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
's most affluent and densely populated suburbs, situated between Signal Hill
Signal Hill (Cape Town)
Signal Hill aka Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.The hill is also known as "The Lion's Flank", but this term is obsolete...
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD). Moving from Sea Point to the CBD, one passes through first the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay, then Green Point. Seaward from Green Point is the area known as Mouille Point
Mouille Point, Cape Town
Mouille Point is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, situated between the V&A Waterfront to the North, Sea Point to the South and Green Point to the east. The suburb hugs the coastline, and consists primarily of high-end apartment blocks....
, where the local lighthouse is situated.
Sea Point is the only sea-side suburb of Cape Town with significant high-rise development and this, along with other factors, has made it a very popular residential area, or for investing in first or second homes and apartments. Before the most recent surge in property values, the suburb used to be regarded as a dangerous area, in part because some apartment blocks had been neglected by absentee landlords. Many foreign and local investors now see it as a place of urban rejuvenation and there are many Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
owners.
Demographics
There is a diverse community consisting mainly of whites; the area was historically white and during the apartheid era was reserved for the white race. In the late 1990's, more foreigners and local colouredColoured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
people began to buy property. Today Sea Point is home to many ethnic, social and religious groups such as Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, gays and Nigerians.
Layout and lifestyle
Sea Point is a suburb of Cape Town and is situated on a narrow stretch of land between Cape Town's well known Table MountainTable Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
in the south-east, and the Atlantic ocean in the north-west. It is a high density area where space is at a premium due to its prime ocean-side location. Houses are built closely together towards the northern mountainside, while apartment buildings are more common from the central area and toward the beach-front. An important communal space is the beach-front promenade, a paved walkway along the beach-front used by residents and tourists for walking, jogging or socialising. Looking upwards from the promenade towards Lion's Head
Lion's Head
Lion's Head may refer to:* Lion's Head , South African mountain*Lion's Head, Ontario*Lion's Head Provincial Park, a provincial park near Lion's Head, Ontario* Lion's head , a meatball and cabbage dish in Chinese Huaiyang cuisine...
and Signal Hill, on either side of Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
, the suburb's more exclusive areas lie against the upper mountainside along the so-called "Avenues"—connecting roads which lead towards the upper edge of the suburb.
All along the ocean-side of the Sea Point promenade, the coastline has different characteristics. Some parts are rocky and almost inaccessible, other parts have open beaches. Sea Point beach adjoins an Olympic sized seawater swimming pool, another beach further towards the city is known as Rocklands.
Clifton, Cape Town
Clifton is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is an exclusive residential area and is home to some of the most expensive real estate in South Africa, with dwellings nestled on cliffs that have sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean....
and Camps Bay
Camps Bay
Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In summer it attracts a large number of foreign visitors as well as South Africans looking for a beach holiday. It is renowned for its white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees and has a trendy nightlife.-History:The first residents of...
. The rocks off the beaches are basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic, with extensive beds of kelp offshore. Unlike the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
side of the peninsula, the water is colder (11ºC - 16ºC).
Further along the coast going towards Clifton, there is a plaque overlooking the rocks which commemorates Charles Darwin's observation of a unique junction where igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
has joined and flowed into granitic rock.
Local Schools
Some of the schools to be found in the area include Sea Point Primary and Herzlia Weizmann Primary. The high school is Sea Point High (formerly Sea Point Boys' High school). The school song went,- On the sunny shores of Africa,
- Beneath the lion bold,
- There stands a school not old in years,
- Nor famed in verse of song,
- Loudly our voices raise,
- Her name and fame to praise,
- Sea Point Boys' of our youthful days,
- Sea Point! Sea Point! Sea Point!
History
Ships entering the harbour in Table Bay from the east coast of Africa have to round the coast at Sea Point and over the years many of them have been wrecked on the reefs just off-shore. In May 1954, during a great storm, the Basuto Coast (246 tonnes) ended up on the rocks within a few metres of the concrete wall of the promenade . A fireman who came to the assistance of the crew was swept off the wall of the swimming pool adjacent to the promenade by waves and was never seen again. The vessel was soon thereafter salvaged for scrap. In July 1966 a large cargo ship, the S.A. Seafarer, was stranded on the rocks only a couple of hundred metres from the Three Anchor Bay beach. The stranding was the cause of one of Cape Town's earliest great environmental scares, owing to the cargo including drums of tetramethyl lead and tetraethyl lead, volatile and highly toxic compounds that in those days were added to motor fuels as an anti-knocking agentAntiknock agent
An antiknock agent is a gasoline additive used to reduce engine knocking and increase the fuel's octane rating.The mixture known as gasoline, when used in high compression internal combustion engines, has a tendency to ignite early causing a damaging "engine knocking" noise...
. The ship was gradually destroyed by the huge swells that habitually roll in from the south Atlantic. Salvage from the ship can still be found in local antique shops.
Famous people from Sea Point
- Anthony Sher, actor and writer.
- Sally LittleSally LittleSally Little is a professional golfer. She originally had South African nationality, but became a United States citizen in August 1982....
, professional golfer.