Nostalgia
A look at Cape Town long ago
Cape Town Docks late 1800s
Before air travel, Table Bay harbour (known as the docks) was the first point of discovery for visitors and immigrants to Cape Town. In the 20th century, Cape Town was a true seaside city and the docks were far more accessible than they are today. When the last Union-Castle ship sailed in 1977, the harbour was abustle with activity; crowds would wait at the docks for mail ships and passenger vessels to arrive bearing news from home. John H Marsh photographed and made thorough notes about ships that called here between the 1920s and 1960s. More than 19 000 photographic negatives of 9 200 ships are housed in the Iziko Maritime Centre in Union-Castle House at the V&A Waterfront. Many of these ships docked at Cape Town harbour during the Second World War and were subsequently destroyed during the war; in some cases the Marsh collection is the only evidence of their existence. For more information on the John H Marsh Maritime Research Centre, go to www.iziko.org.za/maritime.