Set on 42 hectares of forest minutes away from the heart of the city what impresses one about The Roundhouse Restaurant was its amazing view of Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles Mountains on the outskirts of Cape Town. From where you are seated you could even see Table Mountain and its cable car. From your table, you could almost see forever.
Other In 1786, The Roundhouse was built as a small round guard house that served to protect against enemies entering Cape Town from the Camps Bay side. Later on, it became a farm and between 1817 and 1823 Lord Charles Somerset used The Roundhouse as a hunting lodge where he would take his friends to shoot lion, leopard and buck on the slopes of Lions Head. The original house consisted of a hall, a saloon, six bedrooms, a kitchen and pantry, slave rooms, a store room, and a garden house.
Some believe the building is haunted and point to the legend of James Barry, a doctor. One of the friends that Lord Charles Somerset invited to the Roundhouse often was the doctor. A small man with red hair, Barry was known for his aggressive nature and high-pitched voice. Apparently he was thought a brilliant doctor and was liked by his patients. Somerset and Barry would spend time together at Somerset’s hunting lodge (The Roundhouse), and their relationship was sometimes ridiculed.
When Barry died a nursemaid who laid the body out discovered James Barry was actually a woman, masquerading for her entire life as a man. This explains Barry’s middle name,
Miranda. Upon further examination locals found out that the body showed signs that it had carried and given birth to a child. No ones knows today what happened to the child, if it survived childbirth. Legend has it that the anguished soul of Dr. James Miranda Barry roams The Roundhouse and the Glen, and many claim to have seen the slight frail figure dressed in British military uniform, or on a horse with his parasol and tilted hat. According to the stories, numerous unsuspecting victims have heard her shrill cries echoing around the property.
Some believe her sorrowful spirit wanders the land and surrounding mountains…
