Chavonnes Battery on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Chavonnes Battery was a fortification protecting
The battery was built in a “U” shape with a stone wall built on a rocky outcrop on the Western flank at the waters edge. It had 16 mounted guns with an arc of fire of nearly 180 degrees. The battery also served as a prison and a
In the 1990s, during the development of the Clock Tower Precinct at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and the construction of an office building for the BoE Stockbrokers group and Nedbank much of the battery was excavated by archaeologists from the
URL
* {{Cape Town, history Museums in Cape Town History of Cape Town Military history of South Africa Infrastructure completed in 1725 Buildings and structures associated with the Dutch East India Company 1725 establishments in the Dutch Empire Artillery batteries
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa, built in the early 18th century. It is now a museum and function venue.
History
The battery was one of the coastalfortifications of the Cape Peninsula
Dozens of fortifications were built in Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula between the 1650s and the 1940s. Most have gone, but a few still stand.
List of fortifications
Entries in bold indicate that the building still stands, either intact or in ru ...
linked to the Castle of Good Hope. It was built in 1714–1725 by the Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
, and named after its originator, Maurits Pasques de Chavonnes
Maurits Pasques de Chavonnes (1654 – 8 September 1724) was governor of the Dutch Cape Colony from 1714 till 1721.
Early life
Maurits (or Mauritz) Pasques de Chavonnes was born in The Hague and baptized on 23 July 1654 in de Grote Kerk, The Hag ...
, who was the governor of the Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
.
The battery was built in a “U” shape with a stone wall built on a rocky outcrop on the Western flank at the waters edge. It had 16 mounted guns with an arc of fire of nearly 180 degrees. The battery also served as a prison and a quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
and convalescent wing of the old Somerset Hospital.
It was used to protect the bay and town until 1861 when construction work started on the Alfred basin and some of the stone and rubble from the site was used to create a breakwater. Further damage occurred when coal bunkers and later a fish factory were built over the site.
Excavation and preservation
In the 1990s, during the development of the Clock Tower Precinct at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and the construction of an office building for the BoE Stockbrokers group and Nedbank much of the battery was excavated by archaeologists from the University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
, and has now been opened as a visitor attraction that includes a museum, hosts contemporary art exhibitions, offers guided tours, venue hire and cannon firing.
The museum includes the excavated walls, well and other components of part of the battery, with displays on cannons and the equipment needed to maintain and fire them and information boards related to the history of Cape Town.
See also
* List of Castles and Fortifications in South AfricaReferences
External links
URL
* {{Cape Town, history Museums in Cape Town History of Cape Town Military history of South Africa Infrastructure completed in 1725 Buildings and structures associated with the Dutch East India Company 1725 establishments in the Dutch Empire Artillery batteries