In the 18th century, the Dutch East Indian Trading Company used Kalk Bay to transport goods to Cape Town, predominantly lime or ‘kalk’ in Dutch; which soon became the bay’s name. By 1795, the British gained control of the Cape and Kalk Bay turned into a whaling station. By the 1830s, the whales had been hunted into near extinction while many immigrants of Spanish, Filipino and Malaysian descent had settled in Kalk Bay as fishermen.
False Bay was an ample fishing ground, letting the immigrants become entrenched members of the town and establishing a Filipino diaspora. A Spanish-speaking Irish priest called Father Duignam built a large church and convent called St James, after Spain’s patron saint. While the church has since been destroyed, St James is now the name of the village where it once stood.
By 1883, the railway reached Kalk Bay and affluent families from Cape Town’s suburbs made their holiday homes there. Thus, Kalk Bay transformed itself from a small fishing hamlet to a place vibrant with tourism and market growth. Notable residents included Count Labia and Cecil John Rhodes who made their homes around the ‘millionaire’s mile’ of St James, a few kilometres away.
Today, St James is a stop along the Rovos Rail journey and is home to some of the best guesthouses in the Cape.
Source: http://exploring-cape-town.tumblr.com/post/58915761426/the-unique-history-of-kalk-bay-ask-anyone-to
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