Johannesburg 1912 – suburb by suburb research – Page 5 – "What is fashionable now is despised by the next generation, thought quaint by the following and revered by the one thereafter"

Jeppestown & Belgravia Pt.4 (Grand Station Hotel, Jeppe Post Office, dropped train tracks and Lithuanian Synagogue)

Grand Station Hotel 1896 Built to serve miners from the nearby Wolhunter mine, the Grand Station Hotel is one of the oldest and grandest. It had a close association with boxing and served as a soup kitchen and refuge during the 1922 miner’s strike. The building was designed by Reid & Williams (who were also…

Marc Latilla

July 21, 2013

Johannesburg

dropped railway tracks, government buildings, Grand Station Hotel, Jeppe Station, Jeppestown, Lithuanian Shul, Norman’s Grill, post office, Reid & Wiliams, subways, Sytze Wierda
Jeppestown & Belgravia Pt.3 (St. Mary’s-the-less, Gilfillan Park surrounds, Wesleyan Church, Jeppestown Masonic Lodge and Oddfellows Hall)

In the 1890 map, one can see the original layout before the railway line, Belgravia to the east and other surrounding areas like City & Suburban and Wolhunter. Commissioner Street is still called Natal road and there is a little stream and lake called Natal Spruit. The 1896 map shows the growth that took place…

Marc Latilla

July 6, 2013

Johannesburg

Alnwick Castle, church, Jeppestown, Jeppestown Lodge, Map, Masonic Lodge, Matterson & Son Ltd, Natal Road, Rev. John Darragh, St. Mary’s-the-less church, Suburban library
Short history of trams in Johannesburg

Since moving this blog from Posterous (RIP), the traffic has more than doubled and for the first time I’m also able to see what people searched for to get to my blog. A few weeks ago there was a spike in ‘tram’ searches so I decided to slot a quick history of trams in-between the…

Marc Latilla

June 1, 2013

Johannesburg

Barry Hertzog Avenue, Belgravia, Boksburg, Braamfontein, Commissioner Street, Doornfontein, Early Johannesburg, electric trams, Fordsburg, Harrison Street, horse trams, Jeppestown, King George Bridge, Market Square, Melville, Raandjeslaagte, Rand Tram, Rustenburg Road, Siemert Road, Spencer Commission, Staib Street, tram routes, trams, Trolley-buses, Twist Street, William Henry Miles
Jeppestown & Belgravia Pt.2 (St. Mary’s College, Salisbury House, Rathmines & Thabana House)

Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA ZH-TW X-NONE In 1891 the first horse drawn tram moved out of market square and soon connected to such ‘far flung’ suburbs of Belgravia (via Jeppestown), Fordsburg (another western township owned and laid out by For…

Marc Latilla

February 16, 2013

Johannesburg

Archdeacon Furse, Belgravia, Berg Street, Friedenheim, Grand Station Hotel, Holmes-Orr, J Cotterill, Jeppe Station, Jeppestown, JF Beardwood, Marshall Street, Rathmines, Salisbury House, St. Mary’s College, St. Mary-the-less Church, Thabana House
Jeppestown & Belgravia Pt.1 (Friedenheim & Jeppe Boys)

At last, the next suburb installment in bite sized parts. There will be one odd post slotted in between the Jeppe/Belgravia volumes covering my house which turns 100 this month. I’ll be posting some of the orginal plans as well as a few features t…

Marc Latilla

October 7, 2012

Johannesburg

Abe Bailey, Belgravia, Berg Street, Carl Jeppe, Friedenheim, Jeppe Boys High School, Jeppe Girls High School, Jeppestown, Lord Kitchener, Marshall Street, Monument, Ralston, Robinson Street, Salisbury House, Sir Herbert Baker, Sir Julius Jeppe, Toll gates
Bezuidenhout Cemetery

Going back to before Johannesburg’s birth for this post…Before the discovery of gold, the area was made up of various boer farms after which many of todays suburbs are named:Laanglaagte, Braamfontein, Doornfontein, Diepkloof and Turffontein to n…

Marc Latilla

January 3, 2012

Johannesburg

Bez Valley, Bezhuidenhout, Doornfontein, Eric Rosenthal, family cemetary, Geldenhuis, Viljoen
Warrington Hall (Hildasheim)

The absolute last Doornfontein post…At the corner of Pieterson and Nugget street stood Warrington Hall which was built by F. Eckstein in the 1890s. It was across the road fromReunerts Windybrow (which still stands today) I’ve attached a google e…

Marc Latilla

December 23, 2011

Johannesburg

Aerial photographs, Doornfontein, Friedrich Eckstein, Hildasheim, Nugget Street, Warrington Hall, Werner Beit Co., Windybrow
Doornfontein Pt.4 (Yards, Alhambra Theatre, Van Wouw house, Marlborough House, Crystal Bakery & Jewish Workers Club)

In early 1900s – 1920s various yards emerged in the Jeppe area and adjacent in what was termed ‘New Doornfontein’. A yard (or slumyard) was an area that housed workers from around the city (mostly black domestic servants like ‘house boys’, ‘kitche…

Marc Latilla

September 21, 2011

Johannesburg

Aerial photographs, Alhambra Theatre, Anton Van Wouw, Apollo, Beit Street, Crystal Confectionery, Doornfontein, Doornfontein Primary School, Gordon Leith, Harrow Road, Jewish Workers Club, Joe Slovo Drive, Lions Shul, Marabi culture, Marlborough House, Ponte, Shamus’s Yard, Sivewright Avenue, slumyards, Theophile Schaerer
Doornfontein Pt.3 (Eastington & The Turrets)

It appears as though I’ve mistaken my mansions (or at least the reference books I’m using have) I’ve always believed the house that once stood on the hill on Harrow Road across from where Ponte is now was known as THE TURRETS. It was in fact calle…

Marc Latilla

June 17, 2011

Johannesburg

Aerial photographs, Alhambra Theatre, Doornfontein, Eastington, Harrow Road, Lions Shul, Louisa Street, Ponte, Sam Jameson, Saratoga Avenue, St. Augustine Street, The Turrets, Warrington Hall
Doornfontein Pt.2 (Norman House, I. H. Harris School, 96 End Street & Caledonian Hall)

On the very edge of old Doornfontein running North to South is End Street – so called because that is where town literally ended. What was to become Doornfontein on the right was then just grazing land. John Dale Lace (Norman House) and Barney Bar…

Marc Latilla

April 28, 2011

Johannesburg

Adam Leslie Theatre, Aerial photographs, Andrew Wood, Barney Barnato, Bertrams, Caledonian Hall, Club Babylon, Donald Mackay Park, Doornfontein, Ellis Park, End Park, End Street, ESP Nightclub, Idols Nightclub, John Dale Lace, Leck & Emley, Mandy’s Nightclub, Natal Spruit, Norman House, Nugget Street, Ponte, SA College of Music, Sir Herbert Baker