Camps Bay

Camps Bay is a coastal suburb of Cape Town on the Atlantic Seaboard, situated west of the City Bowl and bordered by Clifton to the north and Bakoven to the south. It lies at the foot of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, part of the Table Mountain massif, with the Atlantic Ocean forming its western boundary. Camps Bay is accessed primarily via Victoria Road, which connects the area to Sea Point, Kloof Nek, and Hout Bay. The suburb’s bay is partially sheltered from the prevailing south-easterly winds, contributing to its relatively calm beach conditions compared to other Atlantic-facing areas.

History of Camp’s Bay

Camps Bay, originally home to the Goringqhaique Khoi and nomadic San people, was a forested region with rich wildlife. As the Dutch established their presence in the Cape, these indigenous communities were gradually displaced. By 1657, the Goringqhaique had moved to Camps Bay, which would later become historically linked to Zwarte Maria Evert, the first known owner of the land.

Maria, born in 1663, was the daughter of enslaved parents taken from Benin. Her father was the first male slave freed in the Cape, and he eventually gained freedom for both Maria and her mother. He had been granted a plot of land, where he lived and ran a garden. Maria sold the produce from the garden for her father. She learnt how to make deals and how one could acquire land, and she became the owner of several Farms in the Cape.

Through her business dealings and land acquisitions, Maria became wealthy. In 1713, she was granted a title deed for land that included what is now Camps Bay.

However, in the same year, a smallpox outbreak from a Danish ship led to a deadly epidemic. Soiled linen was sent ashore to washerwomen in Cape Town. This initiated the epidemic that spread throughout the entire colony.  It claimed Maria’s life and her son’s. However, she left behind a considerable estate, as one of the wealthiest people in the colony.

By 1713, the Goringqhaique settlement was confined to Oudekraal. The area was then granted to John Lodewyk Wernich, who named the farm Ravensteyn. He passed it on to his son Johan. Johan married Anna Koekemoer, and after he died in 1778, Anna married Fredrick Ernst von Kamptz, a Dutch sailor. As a result, the area became known as Die Baai von Kamptz. The farm eventually became government property and served as the holiday home of British Governors, who renamed it “Marine Villa.

. For about 100 years, Camps Bay remained largely undeveloped and was primarily used for hunting. The construction of Victoria Road in the late 1800s and the introduction of a tramway in 1901 boosted accessibility and spurred further development, transforming Camps Bay into a recreational hotspot.