Tag: Gordon Leith
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Churches of Johannesburg Pt.2

This piece covers churches built up to around 1955 that are still standing. The first piece covered the ‘Lost churches’ and can be read HERE. I’ve broken it up into two sections: The first section covers those that are no longer used as places of worship starting with the oldest. The second section covers those…
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History of Hillbrow Pt.1

On the 13 July 1893 a court ruled that the claim for the ground that would become Hillbrow belonged to J. Nicholls. He swiftly sold it to Transvaal Mortgage, Loan & Finance with which Sam Goldreich was associated. The ground was surveyed in 1894 and on the 20th May 1895 permission was received to change…
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Hospital Hill (Old Suburb between Braamfontein & Hillbrow)

Hospital Hill was a popular name for the eastern part of the March 1888 surveyed part of the township of Johannesburg. It included the land on the hill where the first general hospital was built (the land granted by the government), Joubert Park and northerly surrounds, Kruger Park (which became the Wanderer’s Sports Club) and…
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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…