The Dutch United East India Company (VOC) established a colony in the Cape of Good Hope from 1652. Cape Town and Simon’s Town provided important locations for the supply and repair of ships travelling to and from the Dutch East Indies. The British took over the Cape in 1795 before handing it over to the Batavian Republic (Dutch Government) in 1803. It was then reoccupied by the British in 1806.
Table Bay
Cape Town Harbour
The image on the right shows the full extent of the VOC Cape Colony in 1795 when the British took it over.
Dutch Cape Colony 1795
The Dutch built fortifications at Cape Town, Simon’s Town, False Bay and Hout Bay. The principal forts and batteries inherited by the British from the Dutch and then used by them were:
CAPE TOWN
- Castle of Good Hope 1674 onwards
- Chavonnes Battery 1726-1860
- Fort Knokke (Fort De Knokke) 1744-1926
- Imhoff Battery 1744-1926
- Amsterdam Battery 1787-1900
- Fort Wynyard (Kyk in de Pot) 1795 onwards
HOUT BAY
SIMON’S TOWN
- South Battery (Boetselaar Battery) 1793-1870
- Lower North Battery (Zoutman Battery) 1793 onwards
FALSE BAY
- Muizenberg Fort 1740-1827
- Gordon Battery 1781 – 1750?
Later batteries built by the Union of South Africa and British up to World War 2 included the following:
CAPE TOWN
- Craig’s Battery 1880-1926
- Green Point Battery 1880 – 1907
- Three Anchor Bay Battery 1890 – 1926
- Sea Point Battery 1891-1926
- Lion Battery 1888 onwards
- North East Elbow Battery
- King George V Battery 1914-1928
SIMON’S TOWN
- Queens Battery (Cemetery Battery) replaced old South Battery. 1889 – 1843
- Noah’s Ark Battery 1889 – 1945
- Upper North Battery 1895, later Scala Battery
ROBBEN ISLAND
- Cornelia Battery 1940-44
- De Waal Battery 1940-44
HOUT BAY
- Apostle Battery (Duiker Battery) 1940 onwards
Simon’s Town is about 25 miles away from Cape Town. In July 1884 the Admiralty was approached about moving the Royal Naval establishment at Simon’s Town to Cape Town. The Admiralty resisted this move, which would have led to considerable financial savings for the Imperial Government. Nevertheless, Cape Town defences received the first available 9.2-inch guns with five of these guns being transferred to Cape Town Batteries from Simon’s Town on paper in November 1886. There was constant disagreement between the South African administration and Imperial Government on the funding of fortifications.