St. James

St James is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated on the False Bay coast between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay. The suburb is situated between the rocky shore and a steep mountain. 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 False Bay.

The suburb is famed for the St James beach - well known for its colourful Victorian bathing boxes, tidal pool and rock pools, which are popular with children.

Most of the homes in the area date back to the days when the Cape was still a colony of the Victorian 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.