St James is a seaside village on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Ca ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, situated on the False Bay coast between

Muizenberg Muizenberg ( , Dutch for "mice mountain") is a beach-side town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast. It is considered to be the main surfing s ...

and

Kalk Bay Kalk Bay (Afrikaans: ''Kalkbaai'') is a fishing village on the coast of False Bay, South Africa and is now a suburb of greater Cape Town. It lies between the ocean and sharply rising mountainous heights that are buttressed by crags of grey Table M ...

. The village is situated between the rocky shore and a steep mountain, and measures about 200m by 2 km. Its name derives from the early St James Catholic Church, built circa 1880. Most of the suburb was built between 1910 and 1950, after the railway line was built connecting Cape Town to False Bay. St James beach is well known for its colourful Victorian-style bathing boxes, tidal pool and rock pools, which are popular with children. Danger Beach, also in St James, is a well-known surf spot. Most of the homes in the area date back to the days when the Cape was still a colony of the British Empire. The houses were built from limestone, plaster and stone, with traditional thatched roofs. St James Cottage was built in 1853 and during the Anglo-Boer War, the owner Abraham Auret helped to hide prisoners of war in the loft of his barn after which they attempted to escape across the bay. Boyes Drive runs above St James and provides scenic views of the False Bay coastline. St James is located on the Simon's Town train line and the Main Road that runs down the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula. There are walks and hikes on the mountains above the town, and whale watching opportunities during whale season. St James Station, False Bay (South Africa).jpg, St James Station

Notable people

* William Wiley (1931—1999), cricketer *

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...

(2005—2006), politician

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Cape Town