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Henry Peck’s son embraced Islam, and this branch of the family continues to practise and preserve that heritage today.
By MADINY DARRIES
Under the shade of an ancient tree in Muizenberg Park, next to a stream called Peck’s Stream, a diverse gathering of descendants, local residents, historians, and heritage enthusiasts marked a remarkable milestone: the 200th anniversary of the founding of Farmer Peck’s Inn, one of the earliest and most colourful establishments on the False Bay coastline.
Hosted by the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society, the event on Sunday November 16, brought to life the story of the Peck brothers — Henry and Simon — whose entrepreneurial vision shaped a key chapter in Muizenberg’s early history. Through family testimony, historical records, and heartfelt reflections, attendees retraced the legacy of a place that once served weary travellers, soldiers, and dignitaries along the difficult route between Wynberg and Simon’s Town.
A resting place on a dangerous road
In his introduction the director of the Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society, Brett McDougall, noted that the Peck family’s presence in South Africa began in 1819, when Simon Peck arrived in Simon’s Town from England. A year later, he was joined by his brother Henry, who would later become known as the founder of the famous inn.
By 1825, the brothers had rented a government cottage located alongside what was then a vast British military encampment. At the time, Muizenberg existed almost solely as a strategic lookout to spot foreign naval vessels entering False Bay. With dense terrain and days-long travel between Wynberg and Simon’s Town, the Peck brothers identified a business opportunity: an inn offering rest, food, accommodation, and—legally or otherwise—refreshment to travellers and soldiers.
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Historical accounts describe farmer Henry Peck as a charismatic, generous figure who treated rich and poor alike with the same hospitality — making visitors feel that he was doing them a favour by hosting them.
One of the most delightful remnants of this era is the wording from the inn’s original signboard, created by two travellers in exchange for a night’s lodging. The sign, partly in Latin and French, included memorable lines such as:
• ‘Excellent beds without any fleas.’
• ‘Life’s but a journey; let us live well on the road,’ said the Gentle Shepherd.
The Peck brothers ran the inn successfully into the mid-1800s. Simon died in 1850, and Henry in 1857.
The building now standing on the original site — False Bay College — bears a blue heritage plaque unveiled during the commemoration event.
A living lineage: The Peck family today
A powerful moment of the gathering came when Shaheen Peck, a direct descendant, shared personal testimony about discovering and preserving his family lineage.
Shaheen explained that his father, Abdullah, who lived to the age of 97 (1920–2017), had passed down not only stories but also sacred family artefacts, most notably a 150-year-old picture frame (rakam), carried by their ancestor (Henry ‘Hasiem’ Peck), when completing the Hajj in Makkah.
This revelation is significant:
Henry Peck’s son embraced Islam – taking the name Hashiem – and this branch of the family continues to practise and preserve that heritage today. Shaheen is part of this lineage and emphasised how deeply intertwined family history, craft, and faith have been across generations.
Remarkably, the craft of upholstery and diamond-buttoning — once practised by Henry Peck as a service to travelling coachmen — continues in Shaheen’s family to this day, passed from Henry to his son, then to Shaheen’s grandfather, father, and now his children.
Honouring the past, inspiring the future
After the presentations, the group walked to the historic site where the inn once stood. Under bright blue skies, they posed for photographs beneath the freshly restored Muizenberg Historical Conservation Society plaque, marking the foundation of Farmer Peck’s Inn in 1825.
The event concluded with a sense of unity, continuity, and profound respect for the lives, stories, and legacies that shaped the community.
As one attendee remarked: ‘History becomes real when we stand where our ancestors stood, and tell their stories together.’
A valley still bearing their name
A further reminder of the Peck legacy lies just above Muizenberg:
Peck’s Valley, a hiking route in the Table Mountain National Park, is named after the family whose presence shaped the area two centuries ago.
The landscape endures — the mountains, the stream, the shifting winds across False Bay — much like the memory of the Peck brothers and the generations that followed.
