Prince Alfred Building

The land was granted in 1798 but first record of a building was 1802 when a dwelling house and store were built on the property. The delay in building was the result of a dispute with the Navy over the stream that ran through the site that was an important source of water for the ships. A condition for the construction was that the stream be tunnelled under the new building. A new frontage was added in 1822 and it was revamped again in the early 1900s when it became a hotel and a single gable and covered balcony were added. The building is named after Prince Alfred who visited Simon's Town as a midshipman in 1860 and again as the Duke of Edinburgh in 1867 when he was in command of HMS Galatea.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church built in 1828 can be seen on the hillside behind the Prince Alfred. It is the oldest Methodist Church in continuous use in South Africa.

STHS