Tag: history of johannesburg
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Update to Lost Churches of Johannesburg
Usually, around this time of the year, I’d be publishing a new post of some description. It seems a post a year is about my average given the amount of work that goes into them. Of course, the algorithms and digital media experts would all disagree with that strategy, but I don’t really care much…
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Barnett’s Panorama of Johannesburg c1897
Over the last 10 years, while writing this blog and researching early Johannesburg, I’ve looked at thousands of photographs in books, online, and in various archives. While backing-up photos, I came across a number of early street shots of Johannesburg and thought it would be a good idea to try and date them by identifying…
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History of Fordsburg
Fordsburg was established in 1888 on land that had once been part of the farm Langlaagte (more on the history of the early farms HERE). It was owned and laid out by the private firm of Ford & Jeppe Estate Company who had acquired land to the east and west of the new mining camp.…
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New photographs and an update
It’s been some months since the last Johannesburg post. The reason is that I’ve been working on an exciting new project based on some of the work here (and a whole lot more). The publisher has asked that I don’t divulge too much information just yet. There are a few processes and formalities to go…
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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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Rare 1931 Map of Johannesburg tram system
My book dealer tracked down this rare map of the Johannesburg tram system from 1931. I’ve taken a picture of the full map but as it’s quite a big fold-out map, it doesn’t photograph clearly. There are some smaller and clearer sections of the suburbs presented below as well as tram information printed on the…
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History of Braamfontein Pt.3 (Explosion, Cemetery & Early Rand Show)
This is part 3 of what will finally be a 4 part history on Braamfontein. Do go back and check the first two parts here and here as some of the original pictures have been updated with better quality shots. There are also some new additions that weren’t available when the posts were originally published.…
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History of Braamfontein Pt.2 (Lost Braamfontein)
I’ve come across yet another suburb name that a part of Braamfontein was once known as: Argyle (or Argyll). This was once known as Johannesburg’s smallest suburb and was a few blocks west of the old Johannesburg Hospital. According to Anna Smith’s ‘History of Johannesburg street names’, the Transvaal Volksraad granted Commandant Daniel Egnatius Schutte…
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Bertrams and Lorentzville
Bertrams On 9 May 1889 Robertson Fuller Bertam (estate agent and stockbroker) leased a portion of land from the Bezhuidenhouts. The township laid out on the leased land was known as Bertram, and later as Bertramstown, appearing as such on an 1896 map. The suburb was meant to cash-in and catch the overflow from New…
Johannesburg 1912 - suburb by suburb research 