British Hotel Apartments
Try out Sea Kayaking, Deep Sea Fishing and Whale Watching while you're here!
William Runciman (Mayor of Simon's Town) once said: "If you want a breath of British atmosphere, you will find it in Simon's Town". The British Hotel Apartments are a prominent reminder of the Victorian Era in Simon's Town.
The British Hotel was built and owned by Mr William Hurter as a private residence in 1818. It was converted into "the Clarence Hotel" in 1830 by the owner Mr John Clarence and subsequently taken over by Mr Green and advertised as "The British Hotel" which it has been called to this day.
In 1841 the building was completely destroyed by a fire and was rebuilt, designed by Scottish architect John Parker, with construction completed in 1897. Cecil John Rhodes stayed at the British Hotel.
The British Hotel was utilized by families of the Royal Navy personnel and featured prominently during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) where Boer Prisoners of War were nursed. British writer and explorer Mary Kingsley stayed at the hotel and helped nurse the prisoners. She died in Simon's Town in 1900 and was buried at sea with full military honours.
Following the 2nd World War, the British Hotel fell into a state of disrepair and was used as a boarding house until a 2nd major fire in 1971 caused extensive damage. Despite repairs it was not fully utilised until 1991 when Resnekov & Nelson bought the building and commissioned Mike Munnik to restore it to its former splendour in the form of self-catering apartments.
Apartment Names:
The apartments are named after aspects or eras of British History and notable figures, relative to the décor or significance to each apartment.
The Victorian Era (strictly 1837 - 1901) of the United Kingdom refers to the period of Queen Victoria's reign. She had the longest reign in British History and the cultural, political, economic, industrial and scientific changes that occurred during her reign were remarkable. The era marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire.
The Union-Castle Line was a prominent shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and freighters between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. Union-Castle named all their ships with the suffix "castle" in their names. They were well known for the lavender hulled liners with black and red funnels, running on a rigid timetable between Southampton and Cape Town. Every Thursday at 4pm a Union-Castle Royal Mail ship would leave Southampton for Cape Town and at the same time from Cape Town to Southampton.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965), was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 - 1955. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army. He has been studied to a unique extent as part of modern British and world history. A prolific author, he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953 for his own historical writings.
Charlie Chaplin was one of the greatest and widely loved silent movie stars. Charlie Chaplin, who retained his British Nationality throughout his life and his long production career in the United States, is one of the pivotal figures in film history. He was best known for his character, the naive and lovable - Little Tramp. Chaplin's slapstick acrobatics made him famous, but the subtleties of his acting made him great.
