Johannesburg

In 2013 we ran a depressing story about George Harrison Park - the site commemorating the discovery of the largest gold field on earth. It appears as though things have got even worse. Below are a few comments from leading author and geological consultant Gavin Whitfield.

On 6 September I took an IMA group of 33 geotourists on a Witwatersrand field trip. One of the stops was at George Harrison Park, the geological site commemorating the discovery of the Main Reef and Leader in early-1886. As you know this discovery led to the proclamation of what became the Central Rand Goldfield and the founding of Johannesburg in late-1886. As such it is an iconic Johannesburg landmark that needed conservation and protection.

What I found was a disgusting mess, and on the verge of being lost for the future. I was embarrassed to take the visitors around and I kept our time there as short as possible. The old mine workings are now the home of the zama-zamas (illegal miners) who are apparently “working” the remaining reef in the close-by Central Rand Gold open-pit. If there was any significant level of gold in the old exposures I’m sure that they would have been mined as well. All metal railings within the old workings have been removed (stolen) making it dangerous as well.

Despite a prior assurance from Joburg City Parks the site had not been cleaned and there was no visible security. I guess they have bigger things to worry about. But the illegal miners were absent so some action may have...

A few weeks ago (late September 2013) we paid a depressing visit to George Harrison Park in Langlaagte, the site of the discovery of the largest gold field on earth. The Geological Society's Blue Plaque has been removed, building rubble is scattered around the main entrance, the panels revealing the significance of the site have been damaged by fire and the main memorial looks battered to say the least. It is incredibly sad to see one of the most important heritage sites in South Africa looking so neglected.

The fire marked memorial

Battered Main Memorial (The Heritage Portal)

The poor state of the site is not a recent phenomenon. Residents and tour companies have been complaining for years while authorities continue to grapple with problems like vandalism and fire damage from vagrants in a resource scarce environment. (Some may remember drastic measures having to be taken by Eric Itzkin, the Deputy Director of Immovable Heritage, to save the Langlaagte Stamp Battery that was being used as source of firewood. Thankfully the Battery stands proudly in the Main Street Mining Mall today.)

In 2010 things were looking...

Since February this year members of the heritage lobby have been attending meetings with the Department of Public Works discussing the development of the Marshall Street Police Barracks and the site they call 85 Anderson Street. We were more than sceptical at the first meeting, became even more suspicious when no heritage architect was appointed, so only at the final meeting on 18th May did we accept their bona fides and really enjoy the discussions.  

Yasmin Mayat of Mayat Hart Architects has been appointed as the heritage architect. She laid down the law very firmly and we certainly intend supporting her whenever possible. So anyone who has photographs of the Marshall Street Police Barracks and the small buildings on the site before the fire please send them in and let us scan them.

Old images of the Marshall Street Barracks (FJ Henley)

Bhavid of Creative Axis architects presented the design for the two new office buildings, one of which will be entirely new in form in that area. No pretense or pastiche. They relate in some respects to the old, but with the freedom Norman Foster claimed for the Hearst Tower in New York these buildings will stand out in Marshallstown as unashamedly 21st Century. 

Space is created between the old and new recalling the parade ground which was the breathing space behind...

News emerged last week that the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) is considering using Joubert Park as a temporary taxi facility while upgrades to the Jack Mincer rank are made. This has outraged many Johannesburg citizens and organisations. In the article below Kathy Munro explores the history and significance of Johannesburg's oldest park. If you would like to see Joubert Park remain as it is feel free to sign this petition. For background and updates on the issue click here. 

Joubert Park is and always has been a city park for the people. Historically it is a much admired public space which has transitioned through the political, economic and demographic changes of the city. Its history is part of the fabric of the City of Johannesburg and our city fathers ought to be protecting and defending that park with energy, dedication and passion because it is a place of relaxation and a place to smell the roses in the inner city environment.

Parks are precious green spaces. In the case of Johannesburg, too many of our open spaces have been lost to a railway station here or a car park there and now the most treasured of Johannesburg parks is threatened with conversion to taxi rank, albeit temporarily. Once the taxis are inside the gates why will they ever move on. 

A colourful map by Gloria Hodge, dating from the 1986 Johannesburg centenary shows the city as it developed between 1886 and 1900. Joubert Park was already in existence as was the Wanderers Club and...

It is claimed that the upgrading of the Jack Mincer Taxi facility will take 18 to 20 months to complete and that public safety issues (amongst other reasons) preclude the structure being used during building operations.  Therefore it is suggested that as a temporary measure the taxis may be relocated to Joubert Park.  This, on the face of it, would seem to be a realistic proposal, particularly in the light of the other reasons that the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) advances for this strategy.  Therefore to protest against the proposal, as some have done, seems to be unreasonable, but such a conclusion would not be correct for the following reasons.

Apart from the fact that parks are indispensable recreational facilities in crowded, built up areas, they are also synonymous with heritage, not only for their social significance, but also because they reveal layers of the history of the park and the values of those responsible for their conception and maintenance.  In the case of Joubert Park it is a sad story of neglect, lack of caring and worse still, disdain for the people who depend on parks for out-of-door recreation.

Joubert Park - An indispensable facility in a built up area

[[{"fid":"77","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Joubert Park - Heritage Portal - September 2015"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"title":"Joubert Park - Heritage Portal - September 2015","height":576,"width":768,"style":"width: 500px; height: 375px; display: block; margin-left: auto...

Seldom in life does one get an opportunity to take decisive action in what appears to be a major emergency. But let me recount one very small such moment in my own life. When I was a youngster growing up in Johannesburg a notable feature of life in the city was the weekly street collection, run by the City Council in order to assist worthy causes in raising funds. (The citizens of the city were astonishingly generous in aid of good causes but it was interesting to note that I, along with many other collectors, commonly observed that the least well-dressed donors were frequently the most generous – and the reverse.)

In the mid-50’s, when I was an engineering student at WITS, each year I volunteered to do a two-hour stint for that year’s collection in aid of the Epworth Children’s Home, run by the Methodist Church and situated on the Kensington-Germiston border. I therefore collected my ‘tin’ box (securely sealed with a steel wire crimped with a piece of lead to ensure that the money went into the box but couldn’t come out again!) from a side office in the City Hall and found that I had been assigned a point immediately in front of the main entrance to the Rissik Street Post Office – a most excellent position, especially as my two hours included the busy lunch hour when one could be sure that the post office would be very busy.

All went extremely well and my box –...

Louis Bonaparte Neapolitan Collins (Lou Collins) was a clockmaker based in Pritchard Street who was commmissioned to install a number of landmark Johannesburg clocks including the original Rissik Street Post Office Clock and the Markham's Clock. Over the last few days we have been corresponding with his great grandson Rowan Collins who uncovered some fascinating old letters to the editor of The Star revealing part of the story behind the Post Office Clock. Hopefully many of the details will inspire twenty-first century clockmakers in their task when the restoration of the building eventually gets underway.

The correct name of Johannesburg's Old Post Office clock is the "Coronation Clock'. This might be a good point for city councillors to stress when they next apply to the prevailing authority for the demolition of the Old Post Office.

The clock was not in existence in the year 1897, as stated in The Star and since corrected. I quote from records that the idea of the clock originated in 1902 when the Government decided that a vote of £3,000 should be granted to the town of Johannesburg wherewith to purchase a clock as a memento of the King's coronation.

At that time only a few jewellers had been permitted to resume their business and none of them would undertake the task of making and erecting the timepiece. It was contemplated sending to Great Britain for quotations, when List Brothers and Colin Brothers who were well-known local clockmakers were permitted to return to their respective businesses.

Mr L. Collins drew up...

A few years ago the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng (PHRAG) approved the demolition of the Anton van Wouw House in Doornfontein on the condition that the studio where van Wouw completed many of his famous works was preserved. As word of the demolition spread many people struggled to come to terms with the decision as the Van Wouw House formed part of the Joburg100 list (a list of 100 sites worthy of preservation compiled in the lead up to Johannesburg's centenary celebrations). Below is an excerpt from the report compiled by West Rand Heritage Consultants at the time. It provides fascinating historical snippets and unpacks some of the complexities that made the PHRAG decision such a difficult one.

The Anton van Wouw House with the Alhambra Theatre and the Lion Shull form an important node of historical buildings with architectural significance. However, due to the degrading of the area and increased crime rates, the historical significance of the buildings is under severe threat. The Anton van Wouw House is already in a derelict and inhabitable state. Restoration of the house requires a considerable amount of money to make it usable again, the costs of which the owner will not be able to recover through leasing or selling of the property. The small scale of the house makes it also no longer an economic proposition that matches 21st century property values in the area, especially in view of the redevelopment plan for the area.

[[{"fid":"50","view_mode":"media_adaptive","fields":{"format":"media_adaptive","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Van Wouw House Condition - West Rand Heritage Consultants"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"title":"Van Wouw House Condition - West Rand Heritage...

This article may be somewhat premature as we have yet to investigate the situation fully but it looks like the historic Van Wouw house in Doornfontein has been demolished. We went to photograph it on the weekend along with the Alhambra Theatre and all that was there was a vacant stand. We have compared old photos and a google street view shot from a couple of years ago with the latest batch to make sure and the picture isn't pretty. We'll reach out to the heritage community to see if anyone else has some information about what happened. [Originally published in January 2013]. Click here to view a follow up article.

Van Wouw House - Egoli Heritage Foundation Archives

The Van Wouw Site in 2013

The house was one of the sites considered worthy of preservation by the Joburg100 committee in the lead up to the centenary celebrations and in 1987 the City Mayor unveiled a National Monuments Council Plaque. In late 2011 the property received provisional heritage status... We're not sure what has happened since then. Below is a description of the site compiled by the Johannesburg Historical Society followed by summarised excerpts from an article in The Star (September 1981)...

On the occassion of the 75th Anniversary of the Drill Hall in 1979 the following 'history' of the building was compiled.

The corner-stone of the Drill Hall was unveiled on Saturday 11 June 1904 at 14h00 by Lieutenant-General Sir H.J.T. Hildyard, Commander of the British forces in South Africa. The construction of this building, which was erected on the site of the old non-white prison in Johannesburg was completed in October of the same year. There had been a high wall around the outside of the prison, and the outside wall of the Drill Hall still rests upon those foundations today.

Initially, the cells within were fitted out as offices for various units. The actual Drill Hall in the complex which bears its name was the largest hall in South Africa in 1904 and its external dimensions were 45m by 24m. The Drill Hall was built to serve as headquarters of the Transvaal Volunteer Corps. During the closing months of the Anglo-Boer War a committee was formed on which influential residents of the Witwatersrand served. Their objective was to establish a volunteer corps in the Transvaal. When peace had been concluded, Kitchener also advocated that volunteers form the nucleus of a volunteer corps in the Transvaal. He recommended that the Imperial Light Horse, Johannesburg Mounted Riflemen, South African Light Horse, Kitchener's Fighting Scouts and the Scottish Horse each keep approximately five hundred men to be maintained by the government. Other units incorporated into the Transvaal Volunteer Corps were the Central...