Phase One Heritage Impact Assessment: Portions 2, 3
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF ERF 6289, HOUT BAY, WYNBERG DISTRICT, WESTERN CAPE Prepared for: Doug Jeffrey Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd (Att Jenna Theron) P O Box 44 Klapmuts 7625 Tel: 021 875 5272 Emai: [email protected] January 2010 Prepared by: Lita Webley Archaeology Contracts Office Department of Archaeology University of Cape Town Private Bag Rondebosch 7701 Phone (021) 650 2357 Fax (021) 650 2352 Email: [email protected] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Archaeology Contracts Office at the University of Cape Town was appointed by Doug Jeffrey Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd, on behalf of the owners of the property to undertake an Archaeological Impact Assessment as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the rezoning, subdivision and development of Erf 6289, Hout Bay, Cape Town. It is proposed to subdivide Erf 6289 and to create 10 new erven for residential use as well as providing 58% of the property as private open space. A review of archaeological and historical literature for the area indicates that no archaeological material has ever been recorded on or close to the proposed development site. The closest documented heritage site (other than Table Mountain National Park) is Conway Redoubt, the earthworks of which currently lie in the backyard of the Constantia Nek Restaurant. In terms of pre-colonial material, a single Early Stone Age cleaver was noted in the parking lot at Constantia Nek (Hart 2002). Recent surveys of the adjoining property (Hart 2005) and a nearby property (Hart 2003) failed to uncover any archaeological remains although the archaeologist recommended that a second survey be undertaken of these properties after they had been cleared of bush. Erf 6289 was so densely overgrown with alien vegetation (including dense stands of bramble bushes) that physical assessment of the land surface was extremely difficult. The perimeter of the property was examined and where access across the fence was possible, small areas within the fence was examined. Clusters of large granite boulders (outside the fence) and the two small streams crossing the property may have been an attraction for prehistoric occupation. A small raised area was identified near the granite boulders (outside the property). Its function is unknown. To summarise: o While no archaeological remains were discovered during the survey, it is recommended that a second site visit is made after brush clearing to check for the presence of pre-colonial and/or historical remains; o If human remains are uncovered during development, earth moving activities in the vicinity should be stopped immediately and Heritage Western Cape should be notified. 2 1. INTRODUCTION The Archaeology Contracts Office at the University of Cape Town was appointed by Doug Jeffrey Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd, on behalf of the owners of Erf 6289 Hout Bay, to undertake an Archaeological Impact Assessment, as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment, of the property. The site is located to the west of Constantia Nek, below the Houtkapperspoort Holiday and Residential development. It is bounded to the north by the Orange Kloof Conservation Area, which is part of the Table Mountain National Park. The erf extends south to the Hout Bay Main Road (Figure 1). The owners intend to apply for rezoning of the property from Rural Use Zone to Single Dwelling Residential Use and Open Space (Private) with the view to developing 10 new residential portions. Figure 1: 1:50 000 map sheets 3418 AB & AD Cape Peninsula showing the location of the property. (Mapping information supplied by: Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping (web: w3sli.wcape.gov.za) 2. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS The developer proposes to subdivide Erf 6289 and to create 10 new erven for residential use as well as providing 58% as private open space (the property is 49900 m² with 27357 m² being set aside for private open space). This will involve rezoning the site from Rural Use Zone to sub-divisional Area, in order to permit Single Dwelling Residential Use and Open Space (Private). There will be a minimum setback of 10 m from the bank of the streams for all residential units. 3 Figure 2: An aerial view of the property indicating its position adjoining the Houtkapperspoort Development. Figure3: Development proposals. Map supplied by Doug Jeffrey Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd 3. TERMS OF REFERENCE An Archaeological Impact Assessment was requested as part of a Heritage Impact Assessment to investigate the possibility that sites might be negatively impacted by the residential development. The assessment includes: 4 • Identification of archaeological (prehistoric and colonial) sites through a desk top survey and site visit; • Rating of significance of archaeological sites on the property; • Assessment of the impact of development on the archaeology of the property; • Recommendations for mitigation/conservation. 4. LEGISLATION The National Heritage Resources Act, No 25 of 1999 (Section 38 (1)) makes provision for a compulsory notification of the intent to development when any development exceeding 5000 m² in extent, or any road or linear development exceeding 300m in length is proposed. The NHRA provides protection for the following categories of heritage resources: . Landscapes, cultural or natural (Section 3 (3)) • Buildings or structures older than 60 years (Section 34); • Archaeological Sites, palaeontological material and meteorites (Section 35); • Burial grounds and graves (Section 36); • Public monuments and memorials (Section 37); • Living heritage (defined in the Act as including cultural tradition, oral history, performance, ritual, popular memory, skills and techniques, indigenous knowledge systems and the holistic approach to nature, society and social relationships) (Section 2 (d) (xxi)). Table Mountain National Park is one of 8 protected areas forming part of the serial declaration of the Cape Floral Region as a World Heritage Site in 2004. Only the Table Mountain Park section of the Cape Floral Region has been approved as a Grade 1 site, in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act 25 of 1999), by the South African Heritage Resources Agency. Table Mountain National Park, which adjoins Erf 6289, therefore has National Heritage and World Heritage status. 5. BACKGROUND TO THE ERVEN 5.1 Archaeological Background The archaeological record shows that prehistoric settlement of the Hout Bay area is associated with the last 2000 years and probably relates to the use of the area by prehistoric pastoralists. The Hout Bay valley is one of the few places on the Cape Peninsula with granite geology nearby. This would have provided prehistoric cattle with some of the trace elements necessary for their survival. These are not contained in the Table Mountain Sandstone based soils. It is these factors that account for the apparent popularity of Hout Bay after 2000 years ago when herding is thought to have been introduced into the Cape. Although we may expect many archaeological sites to exist in the Hout Bay area, many of these have been destroyed by urban development. To date only six sites have been excavated. They include Hout Bay Cave (Buchanan 1977), Logie’s Rock at Sandy Bay (Rudner & Rudner 1956), and the Sandy Bay Midden, excavated by Townley Johnson but not 5 published. Buchanan’s (1977) excavation produced radiocarbon dates of 1460+-50 BP (Pta 2035) and 1840+-50BP (Pta 2037) indicating that the entire sequence built up after the advent of pastoralism 2000 years ago. Hart (2002) recorded a single Early Stone Age handaxe in the informal car park at Constantia Nek. 5.2 Historical Background The diary of Jan van Riebeeck makes mention of the fact that cattle stolen from the VOC (Dutch East India Company) were driven by the Khoekhoen (“Hottentots”) to Hout Bay. The Khoekhoen Kaptein, Herry and his people, the Caepmans apparently spent the summer months with their cattle at Hout Bay. When the Cochoqua were in conflict with the Peninsular Khoekhoen in 1661, they took measures to cut the Peninsulars off from the “valuable pastures” at Hout Bay. Van Riebeeck named “Hout Baaij” as early as 1652 and commented: "They were the finest forest in the world”. In 1666 he sent men to make a road over Bosheuwel in order to enable wagons to bring timber and planks from the forest in Hout Bay to the settlement in Table Bay. In 1676 the Company set up 4 outposts (buiteposte) in the valley for the woodcutters. Each post was manned by soldiers and slaves. Simon Van Der Stel first visited and inspected Hout Bay in 1680 and he was responsible for laying out a new route over Constantia Nek, completed in 1693 (Sleigh 1993). By 1685 the forests were almost depleted and farming was expanding in the valley. By 1705, there were 29 wood cutters in the forest but by 1710 the outposts no longer existed (Sleigh 1993). Constantia Nek was an important link between Hout Bay and the settlement. When the French arrived to defend the Cape in 1781 against a threatened English invasion, Constantia Nek was one of the areas fortified because of its strategic location and because it was located at the wood cutters “poshuis” (Sleigh 1993). An earthen fort was erected, the remains of which can be seen behind the restaurant. The fort was named the Conway Redoubt. Here the French troops waited for the attack that never came. According to Sleigh (1993), the “poshuis”, which he describes as the erstwhile barracks of the Conway Redoubt, was still occupied by two woodcutters in 1795. Archaeological work at the Fort in 1981 (Smith 1981) confirmed that the fort was an earthen works, formed by digging a ditch and using the infilling as the bottom of the walls of the redoubt. It is possible that the earthen works were surmounted by a wooden palisade. Smith concluded that the small size of the fort and the limited artefactual material (a few metal objects) seems to suggest that it was not used as the living quarters of the troops.