Plumstead, Cape Town

Plumstead at a glance

The suburb is bordered to the East by the M5 expressway and to the West by the suburb of Constantia. Plumstead was developed on the site of an old VOC military camp some 13km south of Cape Town and, by 1823, was already a growing village. The Cape Town-Wynberg suburban railway reached Muizenburg on 15 December 1882 and included a station at Plumstead.

Plumstead was first mentioned when, in 1762, a large portion of the land beyond Wynberg and the Constantia Valley was granted to the free burghers Hendrick Jergens and Johan Barrens, who were Dutch settlers. They called the land 'Rust' (Rest) and 'Werk' (Work). Twenty years later the land was granted to Hendrick Bouman Brigeraad. After the decline of the Dutch East India Company, the British occupied the Cape. An Englishman, Henry Batt, arrived in 1807 and bought 'Rust and Werk' and renamed it Plumstead, after a district of London. Henry Batt farmed the area for twenty-six years, and died in 1833. The farm Plumstead was sub-divided and bought by Messrs. Higgs, Loubscher and Southey. Today, Plumstead consists of a mix of houses built in the 1940s and 1950s and more modern residences.

The fairly large suburb of Plumstead, just south of Wynberg, divided into two by the Main Road and the railway line, could easily be mistaken for the English village after which it is named - if a village is possible in the heart of London’s Greenwich or Cape Town. Regarded as the ‘Cinderella’ of Wynberg and Diep River, Plumstead is filled with homes built during the 1940s and 1950s and its residents are largely pensioners and young arty types who are buying up older homes here and transforming them into modern renditions.

Plumstead is a hotch-potch of tree-lined streets dotted with homes that still sport low walls and off-street parking that isn’t behind six metre fortifications. People walk their dogs here and stop to chat at one another’s front gates about the weather and latest news headlines.

The train station in Plumstead bustles in the morning as people commute in and out of the city, and it’s one of the few stations that lie almost in the heart of the suburb, which is possibly what contributes the most to its English village feel. That and the horse-drawn carts that grace the streets, as local merchants collect scrap metal or other household items rendered unnecessary by their owners.

The Main Road is dotted with antique and second-hand furniture shops where you can still find reasonable deals, although even they are beginning to succumb to the prices fetched further along Main Road towards Bergvliet, and Plumstead Fisheries is not only a local landmark but serves the best fish and chips for miles around. Plumstead has good access to both the M3 and the M5 and getting to False Bay’s beaches is really easy from here. The suburb is also close to Constantia, Kirstenbosch and Maynardville theatre in Wynberg.

Plumstead is divided between wards 62, 63 and 73 of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The ward councillors are Elizabeth Brunette, Monty Oliver and Carol Bew, respectively, all members of the Democratic Alliance. The Plumstead Municipal Offices are located on Victoria Road.

BENEFITS OF LIVING/WORKING /INVESTING IN THE AREA:

John Graham Primary School
Timour Hall Primary School
Plumstead Preparatory School
Plumstead High School
South Peninsula High School
Norman Henshilwood High School
Cape Town College of Fashion Design

RELEVANT ATTRACTIONS:

Doordrift Walk – Plumstead
Mock River Wetland – Diep River

The Constantia wine route is minutes away, with several farms offering tastings. Many have fabulous restaurants like Constantia Glen, Beau Constantia, where you will find Liam Tomlin’s exceptional Chef’s Warehouse, and Steenberg, which has a restaurant, bistro, spa and hotel.

RELEVANT AMENITIES:

Pick n Pay Centre
Gabriel Place
The Village Square
Checkers Centre
Richmond Centre
Prospur Centre
Constantia Shopping Village
Cape Town Cricket Club and Plumstead Tennis Club, both located on Victoria Road.

Plumstead offers excellent sporting facilities with the well-known Royal Cape Golf Club and The Constantia Virgin Active Gym.

There is an abundance of fast food outlets including KFC, Debonairs, McDonalds and Steers plus Pirates Steakhouse & Pub, an institution. Plumstead Fisheries is one of the best fish and chips restaurants in Cape Town.