SIMON’S TOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

FOUNDED IN 1960

TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT OUR HERITAGE

REGISTERED AS A CONSERVATION BODY

Projects:

The Society continually initiates projects to record and preserve Simon’s Town’s heritage which comprises Buildings, Lanes, Objects, Events and People. One such ongoing project is the erection of plaques throughout the town providing information about buildings, events and interesting snippets about famous people who have lived in or passed through the village. Some of our major projects are described below.

Old Burying Ground

The OBG was established circa 1814 and was initially used by the Anglicans, later Dutch Reformed and Roman Catholic sections were added. The Garden of Remembrance was originally the Naval Cemetery, under the care of the British War Graves Commission and later the National Monuments Council, who made a grant to the Simon’s Town Municipality - while the Dutch section was looked after by the Bloemfontein Boer War authorities. The National Monuments Council ceased to exist in 1994 and care of the OBG has been largely sporadic, with the Simon’s Town Historical Society doing their best to maintain it, including spending R15000 on the repair of the boundary wall. Weeding and the repair of gravestones is also undertaken. Much is still to be done and volunteers and donations would be greatly appreciated.

Registration of Historic Buildings, Sites and Objects

In terms of our registration with Heritage Western Cape as a conservation body, the Society has undertaken to do a survey of all the historic buildings, sites and objects within our area which stretches from Glencairn to Cape Point. The survey entails gathering enough information to classify these items and present them for registration in terms of the Act thus ensuring their future protection. There are many buildings over 60 years old that need to be researched, documented and classified. This is a huge task and anyone willing to assist in any way should contact Eric at info@simonstown.org

Cataloguing of Drawings and Plans

A large number of old Drawings and Plans from the Dockyard have been stored in the Naval Museum. In a co-operative project the Society and the Naval Heritage Trust are sorting and cataloguing this collection and providing suitable storage where possible. A list of the items so far catalogued can be viewed on request at the Simon’s Town Museum.