Simon’s Town Aerial Ropeway

The Simon’s Town Aerial Ropeway was built in 1903 to link the West Dockyard with the Royal Naval Hospital and Sanatorium on Red Hill. The Royal Navy had decided to build a new hospital and recuperation centre for sick and injured seamen, as the old facility from 1810–1812 was no longer suitable.

The ropeway carried both people and supplies up the steep mountainside. Supported by 17 wooden pylons, it passed over St George’s Street—where carts and pedestrians had to mind the low clearance—and even over three private houses, whose owners received an annual “right of way” payment.

The system included six cable cars: two for passengers, two for patients (equipped with beds), and two for transporting supplies. The trip from the dockyard to the hilltop took about 15 minutes. The lower station stood beside the Sail Loft in the West Dockyard, so close to nearby buildings that one of the cables actually ran through a hole in the Mast House wall.

Simon’s Town Aerial Ropeway

Recent research uncovered new details about its design, construction, and operation, including photographs and documents from Bullivant & Co. Ltd, the design contractors. The Admiralty had originally planned to power the system with water, but this was later replaced by a different mechanism—one that made the engine driver a key part of the operation.

The metal pylons from the ropeway still stand today, unused since 1934, as reminders of this unusual chapter in Simon’s Town’s naval history.

FAQs

Is the Simon’s Town Aerial Ropeway still working? No, it fell out of use in 1934

Was the Simon’s Town Aerial Rope a hydraulic system? No, it had a different mechanism

Can you still see the pylons? Yes, they can still be seen in Simon’s Town today

Updated October 2025