Muizenberg station
| Muizenberg Railway Station | |
|---|---|
 Muizenberg Railway Station, general view
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| Data | |
| Design | Through station |
| Platform tracks | 2 |
| opening | 1882 |
| Architectural data | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassicism |
| location | |
| City / municipality | Cape Town |
| province | Western cape |
| Country | South Africa |
| Coordinates | 34 ° 6 ′ 34 ″ S , 18 ° 28 ′ 4 ″ E |
| Height ( SO ) | 5 m |
| Railway lines | |
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Southern Line (Simonstown Line) of |
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The Muizenberg Station is the only station in Muizenberg of Part Sub-Council 19 of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality directly on the False Bay . From an operational point of view , the station is a stop on the double-track line . The route begins in Cape Town's old Park Station and follows the two rivers Liesbeck River and Diep River . The building is considered to be the most elaborately designed on the entire railway line and a special example of the Edwardian era. It has been listed with the number 9/2/081/0031 since October 2, 1981 by the South African Heritage Resources Agency . The state of preservation is rated very good .
All scheduled passenger trains have stopped in Muizenberg.
location
Muizenberg received its first station as part of the expansion of the Southern Line, which reached the place just in time for the summer season in December 1882 and was extended to the naval base in Simonstown in May 1883 . The first station building corresponded to the classic construction plan of South African stations of the time. The railway connection led to an enormous upswing and corresponding construction activity in the small town. Muizenberg soon turned into a fashionable seaside resort with a pier and was considered the Brighton of South Africa . Immediately behind the two tracks is the kilometer-wide beach of the seaside resort on the north bank of False Bay.
The train station, which was originally designed for the population of Muizenberg, quickly became too small and was not considered chic enough. On June 7, 1913, the new building with its striking clock tower in the style of neoclassicism was inaugurated by Henry Burton (1876–1947), Minister for Railways and Ports, on June 7, 1913 . The architect of the building was William Delbridge (1859-1940), brother of the Mayor of Muizenberg, John. Delbridge excelled in various private and public buildings, including the first post office, which had been inaugurated two years earlier.
The building is on Main Road near the post office. Its neighboring building, which now houses the police, was then a public library. All three houses are very visible from the beach and form a stylistic unit.
Building description
The brick building , which is symmetrically winged along the Gleistrasse, has a two-storey central building with a centrally placed clock tower that dominates the building. Window soffits , arches and risalits are made of light, ashlar sandstone made. The roof is covered with Eternit . Delbridge learned about the stone building trade in his native Cornwall .
The ticket office, baggage handling, post office and waiting rooms and first and third class toilets for women were on the ground floor, while the other waiting rooms and men's toilets were on the upper floor. The floor of the ticket office and the risers of the stairwell are designed with small-format, colored tiles.
On the track side, the central building forms a five-axis, covered waiting area, which is covered by wooden, closed balconies. This white painted structure with large sliding windows characterizes the contemporary taste of a holiday resort. The stone overbuilding of the central part is continued on both side wings by wooden roofs.
literature
- Michael J. Walker: Coastal memories: Muizenberg, St. James, Kalk Bay, 1870-1920. 1999, ISBN 978-062022022-4 , pp. 17-29.
Individual evidence
- ^ South African Heritage Resources Agency : Western Cape Cultural Monument Register . on www.sahra.org.za (English)
- ^ A b South African Heritage Resources Agency: Sahris: Muizenberg railway station . Entry from August 7, 2012 on www.sahra.org.za (English)
- ^ People's Post False Bay , Nov. 20, 2012, 9
- ↑ Michael J. Walker: St. James: a century by the sea, 1850-1950 . Self-published 2001, ISBN 978-062028388-5 , p. 60
