James Bisset (mayor)

James Bisset (14 October 1836 – 8 October 1919) was an architect and civil engineer of the Cape Colony, responsible for many of the Cape's early buildings and communications infrastructure. He was also Mayor of Wynberg, South Africa.

Early life

James Bisset was born in 1836 in Aberdeen, Scotland, son of a City Councillor and Master of Mortifications William Bisset and his wife Margaret. He was one of 6 brothers and 3 sisters. He trained as an engineer at London University and did his early work on Crystal Palace, Sydenham station as well as a range of railway projects and public buildings around Europe.

Early work in the Cape

In 1858 he was sent to the Cape, aged 22, to begin work on its first railway, for the infant Cape Railway and Dock Company (later to become the Cape Government Railways). This railway stretched from Cape Town to Wellington, and his team began work on it on 31 March 1859. Another section was built from Cape Town to Wynberg. In 1861 he worked on construction of Cape Town's tramways, including the line to Sea point, (originally horse-drawn) with the "Green Point Tramway Company". He later also completed a similar project for Port Elizabeth.

During this time, he also worked on a range of architectural and engineering projects throughout the Cape, including the old

Cape government railways

In 1872, the Cape attained a degree of independence from Britain and its first Prime Minister,

Political career

Bisset typically pursued several simultaneous occupations throughout his career. He served in the

He was a councillor for Liesbeeck Municipality (1883–1886), Mayor of Wynberg (1886, 1893) and briefly Mayor of Claremont.

While Mayor of Wynberg, he obtained the grant of land for what became Wynberg Park. He also succeeded in making Wynberg the first municipality in the greater Cape Peninsula area to get electric street lighting.^[1]

Family and later life

Early in his career, on 16 October 1862, he had married Elizabeth Magdalena Christina Jarvis, daughter of Cape Town Mayor

James Bisset died on 8 October 1919 at Beauleigh, his house in Kenilworth, Cape Town. [2]

References