The legacy of Harry Escombe, Natal's energetic prime minister

IN 1865, a newly married couple often strolled down to Durban's bay to look at a plot of land which they dreamed of owning.

- MARK LEVIN

DURBAN'S bay in the 1880s before the Esplanade was built. The white picket fence in the foreground marked the boundary of Escombe's home, Bay View. At this time, it is easy to see why this was so desirable a site.

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Without the financial resources and a growing family - four daughters and a son followed in quick succession - their dream remained out of reach. Seventeen years would pass before they could purchase the site at 15 Beach Grove and build a house.The young couple was Harry Escombe, a lawyer, and his wife Theresa, the plucky, beautiful daughter of Dr W G Taylor. Even before she had accepted him, the smitten Harry had named his little yacht "The Theresa". How could she refuse him? He chose the architect Philip Dudgeon to design a large double-storey house with generous verandas opening onto a garden which ran down to the bay - in 1882 when the family moved in, the Esplanade had not yet been built. They named their new home "Bay View". It was there that Escombe's most important work was done.

Escombe arrived in Natal in 1860 aged 22. After settling in Durban, he entered the legal profession, gaining a reputation as one of the most able lawyers of his day. In 1870, he was appointed solicitor to the Durban Town Council, a position he held until 1893 when he became Attorney-General in Sir John Robinson's first cabinet. He remained, however, the standing counsel to the corporation until his death.

Although few today are aware of it, Escombe's most enduring legacy was his relentless determination to develop Durban's harbour. After his appointment in 1881 as chairperson of the Harbour Board, he had the influence to drive what he believed was the key to the whole economy of Natal.