| St James | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -34.1189°N 18.4592°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | City of Cape Town |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Subdivision Name4: | Muizenberg |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.37 |
| Population Total: | 491 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 7.3% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 6.7% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 79.6% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 6.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | English |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 87.1% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 6.1% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 2.3% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 4.5% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 7945 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 7946 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
St James is a seaside village on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, situated on the False Bay coast between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay.[2] The village is situated between the rocky shore and a steep mountain, and measures about 200m by 2 km. Its name derives from the early St James Catholic Church, built circa 1880. Most of the suburb was built between 1910 and 1950, after the railway line was built connecting Cape Town to False Bay.
St James beach is well known for its colourful Victorian-style bathing boxes,[3] tidal pool[4] and rock pools, which are popular with children.[5] Danger Beach, also in St James, is a well-known surf spot.[6]
Most of the homes in the area date back to the days when the Cape was still a colony of the British Empire. The houses were built from limestone, plaster and stone, with traditional thatched roofs. St James Cottage was built in 1853 and during the Anglo-Boer War, the owner Abraham Auret helped to hide prisoners of war in the loft of his barn after which they attempted to escape across the bay.
Boyes Drive runs above St James and provides scenic views of the False Bay coastline. St James is located on the Simon's Town train line and the Main Road that runs down the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula. There are walks and hikes on the mountains above the town, and whale watching opportunities during whale season.