Langebaan – like the rest of the Wild West Coast – has a rich and colourful history . . . dating back to times when lions, rhinos, elephants and hippo’s frequented the area. Did you know Langebaan used to be a central meeting place for Khoi leaders and a popular hiding place for pirates?
Some interesting HISTORICAL BACKGROUND of Langebaan and surrounds was provided by The Farmhouse Hotel – one of the oldest original buildings in Langebaan, dating back to 1860. The last family to stay in the house on the farm called the Panorama was the Acker family. They are still in Langebaan, but the family history is very sketchy.
The building was at one stage a school and also in the Skuur which is situated behind the Farmhouse hotel was a shop where they sold meat, milk and other farm produce. (West Coast Blog – http://www.bokkom.co.za/blog/the-farmhouse-hotel-in-langebaan/)
Today, the original building had been transformed into a popular hotel and restaurant boasting the best panoramic view in Langebaan, if not in the entire West Coast.
Another original Langebaan building that had stood the test of time since its heyday as a popular hotel and dance venue (The Pink Hotel) is the Langebaan Flats of the Carstens family. Most of the original buildings and features had been preserved and transformed into comfortable holiday flats on the water’s edge.
The remaining Carstens family members (Koos (71), Thys (69), Dams (67) and Bokkie (64) still have fond memories of their childhood holidays along the lagoon after their father, a Moorreesburg farmer, bought The Pink Hotel in the early 1960’s.
Photo: The late Albertus and Francis Carstens with their four children : from left Dams, Koos and Thys. In the front is their only daughter, Bokkie.
They remember there were still many whaling activities going on around Donkergat after the whaling station was closed and the military took over. The Pink Hotel was converted into comfortable, self-containing holiday flats. Even today, Koos and Thys annually come spend some time here with their families, while Dams lives permanently in one of the flats to maintain and manage the property. The other holiday flats on the premises are permanently leased for next to nothing to old Moorreesburg farmer friends of the Carstens’s and their next of kin. The annual December get-together of these lifelong friends and their off-spring around the fireplaces is a festive, relaxing journey down memory lane . . .
Photo: Dams (67), Thys (69) and Koos (71) Carstens in festive spirit during their annual Christmas get-togethers at the Langebaan Holiday Flats that used to be The Pink Hotel when their father bought it in the early ’60’s.
Left: An artist painted the Holiday Flats within a couple of hours during a short visit. The painting is prominently and proudly displayed in Dams’ flat.
Good ole days on the lagoon in front of the old Pink Hotel . . . Do you know who these dapper damsels are . . . ?
Prime Spot : Beautiful view from the stoep of the Langebaan Holiday Flats . . .
Dams taught himself to play the old family piano that is now a prominent feature in his flat . . .
Dams also taught himself to play the saw and often participates in local music events with other saw players such as Hannes Vermeulen, etc.
Here’s a video of Hennie Visser featuring some buildings and activities from years gone by . . .
https://www.facebook.com/hennie.visser.52/videos/769300953233876/
HISTORY OF LANGEBAAN:
Langebaan is one of the oldest and most well-known West Coast towns. The Langebaan lagoon reaches southwards for 17km behind the Atlantic Coast, from Saldanha Bay in the north to Geelbek in the south.
It is 4km wide in places and is well-known for its white mussels, birds, beautiful flowers during spring (August to September) and the Postberg Nature Reserve. Postberg is known for its flowers and game, including black and blue wildebeest, bontebok and eland. The park originally existed of 300 hectares, but was later extended to 27 600 hectares. The park includes Preekstoel and fishing communities such as Kraal Bay and Churchhaven. The historical Geelbek farmhouse has been converted into a centre for environmental education. Birdlife is abundant on the islands of Jutten, Malgas and Marcus. Langebaan is situated 124km from Cape Town.
The name Langebaan is according to tradition a result of one of three legends. [1] Before World War II fishermen flecked the fish they caught and put it on to wooden panels (bane) at the high water mark. [2] During the 17th century fjords were called bane in the Dutch language. [3] The town had its origin on the farm De Stompe Hoek, originally known as Geitenmelksfontein. According to belief the long, winding road behind sand dunes, from the original farmhouse (The Lodge) to Leentjiesklip gave the town its name. Leentjiesklip, a caravan park, was named after a runaway sailor called Lynch. Earlier it was called Lynch Point. Fossils found on the farm Elandsfontein, in 1953, traced Langebaan’s origins to a period ten million years ago. Langebaan was also the meeting place of the Khoi leaders.
Langebaan’s modern history runs parallel to that of Saldanha Bay. The bay got its name in 1601 when a Dutchman, Joris van Spilbergen, mistook it for the place where Antonio de Saldanha landed in 1503. De Saldanha actually landed in Table Bay. Early in the 17th century, French seal hunters used Schaapen Island to store skins and oil. A lot of the seafarers used the safety of the bay to repair their ships. The director-general of the French East India Company explored the bay in 1648 and named it the islands.
During 1662 Jan van Riebeeck sent scouts to the bay. Their negative report about the lack of fresh water, however, made him loose interest in the area. The bay was only used to provide the Cape with fish, eggs, and birds and to keep sheep on Schaapen Island, for the use of passing ships. Lions and other predators did a lot of damage. Tracks and skeletons of rhinos, elephants and hippos were also found on the islands. Salamander Bay was named after a ship which arrived in the bay to provide its sailors, who was scurvy, with fresh food. From 1658 free burghers started moving to the bay. To stop them bartering with foreign ships, the company built Oude Post (Kraal Bay) with a small garrison. In 1666 six men were sent to protect Oude Post and the islands from French annexation. They built a fort and in 1669 the garrison was enlarged to 15. Admiral de la Haye and his fleet invaded the bay in 1670. He took over the fort and arrested the garrison and a few burghers. After a few days he released everybody and departed. Not long afterwards the Khoi, under leadership of Kees, raided the fort and killed 4 men. The unrest persisted until 1677. In this time quite a few pirates made the bay their home. Geelbekfontein was the first official farm and was awarded to a free burgher in 1729. In 1732 Oude Post was moved 2km north and gardens planted.
With the First British Occupation in 1781, the Dutch and English battled it out in the bay. One of the leaders of the 1820 Settlers took over Oude Post and the Company moved their post to Oostewal. Mr. Parker later returned to England, because he could not keep up with his payments. The area remained quiet until the guano rush in 1844. For the next few years hundreds of ships stripped the islands of guano, and lawlessness was the order of the day. An English warship was stationed in the bay to keep order and taxes were levied on the guano.
During 1870 Salamander Bay was used as a quarantine station for sailors with infectious diseases. Through the years the islands were frequently used for sailors suffering from scurvy. Now camps were erected, with tents, to keep the sick away from the Cape. The cemetery at Salamander Bay is witness to the smallpox epidemic of 1882. By 1893 the camps were closed, but they were reopened during the Anglo-Boer War when there were outbreaks of bubonic plague and smallpox.
In 1909 John Bryde opened a whaling station at Donkergat when Greenland whales became scarce. His 3 whale-catchers were the start of a modern South African whaling fleet. Shortly after this Carl Ellefsen opened a factory at Salamander Bay. The whalers had great success and during the closed season they repaired their boats and equipment. The scarcity of whale-oil made prices rise drastically during the First World War. In 1926 a big fire started when 2000 barrels of whale-oil exploded. The factories survived, but had a lot of competition from other factories on the South African Coast. The Great Depression of 1930 brought an end to whaling. The town started to prosper and most people made their living from fishing. In 1919 the first town council was chosen.
During the Second World War Saldanha was used as a base for the British fleet. Security was tightened and residents had to carry permits. Big Catalina Flying boats were used to track German submarines. The Catalinas used Langebaan lagoon for loading of provisions and Donkergat for moorings. To observe the weather a meteorological station was erected and this led to the discovery that the air above Saldanha is remarkably free of air pockets. The problem of fresh water was finally solved in 1943 when a pipeline was laid from the Bergriver. The demand for whale-oil during the Second World War let to the reopening of the whaling station at Donkergat in 1947. After a successful season the Salamander Bay station reopened as well. Big companies were started and shares offered to public. After 1967 whales became scarce and international competition was developing. The whaling stations ceased operations. The military took Donkergat over in 1967 and it then became a restricted area.
Langebaan became popular with retired people and as a holiday resort, especially with overseas visitors. On 19 November 1976 the town received municipal status. A lot of the foreign surnames under the local community can be traced to fortune-hunters hoping to make money from whaling
Above information with compliments from The Farmhouse Hotel