Luxury accommodation in Green Point, Cape Town: for sale

Green Point (Afrikaans: Groenpunt) is an affluent suburb on the Atlantic Seaboard of Cape Town, South Africa located to the north west of the central business district. It is a popular residential area for young professionals and for the Cape Town gay and lesbian community, alongside the gay village of De Waterkant. Many new mid-rise apartments and mixed-use developments have gone up in recent years. Somerset Road forms the main thoroughfare lined by restaurants, cafés, delis, boutiques and nightclubs.

The Braemar Estate includes a few dozen properties that are restricted to single dwellings only, within the boundaries of Green Point 

Places of interest

The Cape Town Stadium was constructed on Green Point Common for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Numerous infrastructural developments were made, with the upgrade to Helen Suzman Boulevard and the new Granger Bay Boulevard being constructed, along with a massive investment in creating an urban park around the stadium.

History of Greenpoint, Cape Town

The area about Green Point was initially used by the Dutch as a cattle grazing station. After the British annexed the Cape in 1806, they began to hold horse races on its common, and the area developed as one of Cape Town's most popular social centres. William Burchell commented in 1811 that:

"Vehicles of every description, from the elegant London-built carriage of the Governor and the English curricle to the antiquated Dutch calash and the light but jolting paardewagon, are seen driving about to enjoy the sport ... Together with the art of making horses run fast the science and mystery of betting has found its way to the farthest extremity of Africa, and on Green Point, large sums are said to have been won or lost."

In 1830 Green Point had 40 residents, among them Robert Crozier, the Postmaster General. In 1820 the construction of a lighthouse at Green Point, the first of its kind in southern Africa, was put forward by Sir Rufane Donkin. The project was designed by Hermann Schutte, a German stonemason who had previously been employed by the VOC, and was now working for the new administration as Inspector of Government Buildings. The lighthouse was commissioned in April 1824. Unfortunately, its structure did not stand up well to the hardships of Cape weather, and by 1840 Governor Sir George Napier was describing it as "an old ruinous building, falling fast into decay". The building was renovated in 1842, and in 1863 its height was increased by the addition of a new tower.

During the South African War of 1899-1902, Green Point common was used by the Military as an encampment for a large number of British troops as well as a camp for Boer POWs.

Green Point Lighthouse is the oldest operational lighthouse in South Africa! The Green Point Lighthouse was first lit on 12 April 1824. It was the first solid lighthouse structure on the South African coast and is the oldest operational lighthouse in the country.The lighthouse was designed by the German architect Herman Shutte. Building commenced in 1821 and was completed in 1823. In 1865 the building was extended to its present height.

Many locals mistakenly refer to the Green Point lighthouse as the Mouille Point lighthouse. There was indeed a Mouille Point lighthouse, built in 1842, but it was dismantled sometime in the 1920s.

The Green point lighthouse is a national heritage site and is open to the public for a fee.