Getting straight to the Point
You can now soak up the history of Durban on an informative and fun walk
FROM Durban Point Prison, from which prisoners were sent to work on the docks, boats coming ashore with new arrivals, bustling warehouses, skimpily clad ladies of the night and the oldest piece of railway line in South Africa – The Point area has always had a vibrant history.
Now it’s on the brink of a new era, with old facades being refurbished, trendy eateries popping up and upmarket apartments being snapped up.
With the recent completion of the promenade extension, this week saw the sod-turning ceremony for the Point Watermain upgrade project for water provision to the current Point development.
With loads of colourful characters making up its past, the area has always held a fascination for local and out-oftown visitors, including local walking tour guide Alison Chadwick.
She started working in the Point precinct 12 years ago and couldn’t help noticing the old buildings and wondering about their past.
“I started researching the Point area and since then I seem to spend my life reading books on Durban’s history. I think it’s become a bit of an obsession,” she said.
It certainly became a passion and last June she decided to start a historical tour of the Point on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
She also created four other walking tours: the Maritime Walk, City Walk, Florida Road Walk and Old Hotel Hang-Outs. She qualified as a Grade 2 Culture Guide in November.
Chadwick’s walks are often fully booked ahead of time, particularly with Durban residents.
“There has been so much interest from locals, whether it’s a group of friends or a camera club.
“Every tour is different and each has an element of surprise.”
The Independent on Saturday joined Chadwick for a tour of the Point, which normally covers about 8km over four hours, which includes lots of stops.
Starting at the old Point Prison built in 1932, which is now the Point Bastille apartments, Chadwick said in the early days prisoners were generally kept busy working in the docks.
The prisoners also built the Escombe Wall – some original stones remain – to keep the sand from silting the harbour.
From there, it was on to the rope sheds, also known as the Berthing Master’s Store from the early 1900s. It is a replica of the Victorian wood and iron structure.
Then it was around the corner to “Somerhill”, which was the only single storey house built for harbour staff and was used by either the port captain or the secretary of the Natal Harbour Department. It was built in 1907 and the view would have been across to the ocean, with mangroves and the odd hippo in between.
Stacked onto a corner close to Somerhill were some railway line pieces, believed to be some of the oldest in South Africa.
The first steam train started its run in Durban in about 1860.
Next to these were the remains of a boat found when the uShaka canals were constructed.
Chadwick said old photos showed passengers being taken from ships in these small boats.
There’s also the plaque remembering the Lady in White, Perla Siedle Gibson, who used to sing on the pier to troops moving in and out of Durban harbour during World War II.
Her son, Roy, was the first former
Glenwood High School pupil to die in the war, with his mother receiving the dreaded telegram.
“It was said that she folded up the telegram and went down to North Pier to sing,” said Chadwick.
The old bonded warehouse also conjured up images of bustling harbour activity, while there’s a “Time Ball” replica, which used to be on the Bluff next to the lighthouse. It would be dropped every day at 1pm and ships would set their instruments.
Chadwick told stories as we passed buildings, some newly renovated, while others were in a state of disrepair.
The plot where the infamous Smugglers Inn stood is now a forklift testing ground.
Smugglers Inn started life as the Alexandra Hotel, which formed part of the prosperous Durban central when it was built in 1879.
The uShaka car park is the site of Bamboo Square, the camp where the first indentured Indians arrived, while the old Point police station and fire station still stand side by side on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Both have been renovated and a fireman’s brass helmet still adorns the fire station.
The first petrol-driven fire engine came to Durban in 1911. Before that a bell would ring and six horses would line up next to the cart.
Opposite these two stations was the railway station, where new arrivals would put their first foot down, and alongside was the Gate Retiring Room, which is decorated with a colourful King Neptune mural.
Across the road was the former Seamen’s
Institute building, in disrepair and with plants growing out of the brickwork. It is ripe for renovation. And the sound of progress was right behind us with construction on the new passenger terminal.
As we headed up the entrance to the port tunnel running under the harbour entrance to the Bluff, Chadwick said her tour included a stop at the NSRI base, where visitors get a peek at a state-of-the-art rescue vessel and hear about daring rescues undertaken by volunteers.
The Point Walk costs R200 per person and includes a coffee and treat from Maha prepared by Michelin chef Charlie Lakin.
For more information, email durbantrails@gmail.com