Two heritage landmarks at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, Dock House Boutique Hotel and the 131-year-old Time Ball Tower, have reopened following refurbishment and restoration projects.
Dock House Boutique Hotel refurbished
Newmark Hotels & Reserves’ Dock House Boutique Hotel, originally built in the 1800s as the Harbour Master’s residence, has reopened after a refurbishment project.
Led by Interior Designer François du Plessis, the redesign introduces bespoke furnishings and updated interiors across the hotel’s six units: five luxury rooms and one luxury suite. Three of the four upstairs luxury rooms now feature harbour-facing balconies while the ground-floor luxury room has a shaded verandah overlooking the gardens and pool. The luxury suite includes an exclusive courtyard garden.
Time Ball Tower restored
The neighbouring Time Ball Tower, erected in 1894 and declared a national monument in 1982, has also been restored. The technical refurbishment returns the maritime signalling mechanism to working order.
The project followed a discussion between Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and V&A Waterfront CEO David Green about protecting the city’s heritage.
“By preserving our maritime heritage, we symbolise Cape Town’s longstanding role as a global maritime hub and the V&A Waterfront’s continued function as one of the world’s oldest working harbours. We are proud that the Time Ball Tower will add depth to our city’s tourism and cultural offering by bringing this important piece of history back to life,” said Green.
The Time Ball is manually cranked at 12h55 and drops at 13h00. It will operate on Mondays and Thursdays. Visitors can explore the site through the V&A Waterfront’s free “Reinventing the Tavern of the Seas” audio walking tour.
