Shanghai Lil’s house in Pinetown, a house with a view
Georgia Anna Boediker who later used her English step-father’s surname Gale, was better known as Shanghai Lil. This was due to her wearing Chinese-style clothing. Boediker, born in Bavaria in 1891, arrived in Durban in 1929 and died in Durban in 1951. A business woman who imported Oriental ornaments and sold them in a shop in Durban, was never married.
Shanghai Lil owned the property at 23 Tracy Watts Road, on Fields Hill in Pinetown and built a replica of a wing of Frederick the Great’s palace – Sans Souci. The house was named Capricorn. During World War 2 Miss Gale’s German origins and eastern connections led to rumours of her being a spy.
After Shanghai Lil’s death, Capricorn was put up for auction. In recent years it was used as a restaurant and more recently as business premises. This is not a public place, but can be seen while driving up or down Fields Hill.