Munrohoek Cottages
Munrohoek Cottages
The cottages at Munro Bay were built in 1830 by Alexander Munro, a retired Scottish soldier and shoemaker. It cost him £25 to build them on land that he had leased from the Cape government and would own by 1835. At the time the cottages were built, the town of Mossel Bay was only beginning to expand/develop with its first commercial buildings being built from 1820.
In 1831 Munro received a licence to harvest seals from the nearby Seal Island for seven years. To supplement his family’s income, he built a tavern which was frequented by sailors who stayed over in Mossel Bay.
Part of the land on which Munro’s cottages were built was transferred to his son, Willem Petrus Johannes Munro, in 1837.
Willem Munro was the first person who received a licence to catch whales in the bay. He used to render the fat of these whales on the beach below the cottages. At the time whale fat, or blubber was the main ingredient of soap and margarine. It was also used as lamp oil.
The cottages were restored in 1984 when the Dias Museum Complex was developed. They are closed to the public but can be viewed from the outside.
Sources:
South African History Online
Mossel Bay Advertiser, 5 April 2020
National Geographic Online Encyclopaedia. This series of articles is done with the cooperation of the Mossel Bay Heritage Society.
Scheffler, H. (1990): Die Victoriaanse era in Mosselbaai: Munrohoek. Thesis, University of Stellenbosch.
