Cape Town's shoreline in the 1870s

Cape Town, as seen looking towards Bellville from Signal Hill. The top photograph, from the Cape Archives Arthur Elliott Collection, was taken around 1870. Apart from the buildings, the greatest change is the reclaiming of the Foreshore area from the sea. The first reclamation was in 1910, when a small section of land was reclaimed for the Union Pageant, which needed extra space for festivities. The greater reclamation began in 1937 and was completed in the 1940s. Further reclaiming has continued until today, with the completion of the Ben Schoeman dock.