Ancient Harbour Pier Discovered in Cape Town

Historical discovery takes the Mother City back in time.

Last Updated: 17 January 2017

The Cape Town International Convention Centre’s expansion was suspended recently after the discovery of the old Cape Town harbour pier on the site.

The harbour pier, which was demolished during the land reclamation project in the early 1900s, was uncovered after contractors were working on a tunnel in the Foreshore and came across its structural remains that comprises four partially demolished reinforced columns.

The discovery is all that remains of the old Cape Town pier.

The harbour pier was built at the bottom of Heerengracht in 1910 and included a pavilion where ballets and concerts were hosted. It was demolished in 1939 as the boundaries of the current foreshore were pushed further out to sea.

This is what the old Cape Town harbour used to look like.

According to the CTICC’s CEO, Julie-May Ellingson, an agreement has been made that the CTICC would develop a pictorial display of the old pier with a number of archival images of the original pier in its prime. “We are doing this to acknowledge the position of the pier and to recognise the dramatic changes to the foreshore area that have occurred since 1948.”

Upon completion of the new facility, we will be incorporating the remains in a display in the centre. The centre will be operational from mid-2017.

By Garth Prins

Source Credit: CTICC Corporate Communications Manager

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