For many heritage enthusiasts, archivists or historians, old photographs and photo albums are of considerable interest and do not turn up very often. Places to look for old photos are auctions, junk shops or car boot sales, or even online sales like Bidorbuy.
NOTICES
The Field Guide, a companion to Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses – A Military Engineer’s Perspective, is an extensive review of the blockhouses left standing in South Africa. A first-of-its-kind guide, it can be used for virtual visits to learn more about these military structures, or better still to get ‘boots on the ground’.
BOOK REVIEWS
I am always keen to dip into new books on Joburg and this title, Anxious Joburg, caught my attention. Johannesburg is an African metropolis of considerable wealth but also a city of visible poverty. There is a wide gulf between the rich and the poor.
BLUE PLAQUES
In 1902, the general plan for Westcliff provided public rights of way across its ridges. During the Great Depression of 1929-1933, the City Engineer, Mr E J Waugh, in a public works programme for the relief of poor whites, trained unemployed men to build the stone stairways using the hard quartzite found on site. In recent times, the stairs have become popular with a diversity of users for outdoor exercise.