St James is a seaside village on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa 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 Cape of Good ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, situated on the

False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans: ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarc ...

coast between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay. 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

. 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

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. File:St James Station, False Bay (South Africa).jpg, St James Station File:Casa Labia Arts and Cultural Centre.jpg, Casa Labia on the road between St James and Muizenberg

Notable people

* William Wiley (1931—1999), cricketer. *

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 191920 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 1979. He w ...

(1919—2007), Former politician who served as prime minister of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) lived in this suburb during his later years.

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Cape Town