Parktown

In the article below, Oscar Norwich, Johannesburg historian and collector, tells the story of Henry Charles Hull, the original owner of the historic stately mansion Emoyeni, situated at the top of Jubilee Road, Parktown. Thank you to the Norwich family for their kind permission to publish this article. 

Henry Charles Hull was a distinguished colonial, born at Caledon, Cape Colony, on November 20, 1860. In 1879 he received a Civil Service appointment at Kimberley. He did not, however, stay long in this position but continued to qualify for the Cape Bar and, on being admitted, practised at Kimberley for several years. In 1889 he moved to Johannesburg where he continued to practise law until the troublesome time that preceded the ill-fated Jameson Raid. He threw in his lot with the Reform Committee and the result of his participation was a sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of £1,000 or, in default, an additional 12 months in jail, to be followed by three years’ banishment. He served a short term of imprisonment and then, with his co-members of the Committee, had his sentence remitted except for the fine, on his undertaking not to interfere with the internal politics of the country.

Henry Charles Hull

This pledge he kept although in 1899 he was present at the Bloemfontein Conference, where he rendered valuable service to His Excellency the High Commissioner.

At...

In the article below, Oscar Norwich, Johannesburg historian and collector, reveals the history behind Hohenheim, one of the grand mansions of old Johannesburg. The piece first appeared in the old Johannesburg Historical Foundation's journal 'Between the Chains'. Thank you to the Norwich family for their kind permission to publish this article.

The original Hohenheim was a tin house on the site of 27 Noord Street of early Johannesburg, nostalgically names as such by an early Randlord Hermann Eckstein, having come from the Kimberley Diamond Fields in 1888. He was soon followed in 1889 by a mining colleague Lionel Phillips with wife Florrie and two small children. Eckstein accommodated the Phillips family in this somewhat crude four roomed house situated on a stretch of undeveloped sandy road with very little else around. This was certainly not a very suitable dwelling for this growing Phillips family especially as in 1890 a third child was born to them.

Resolute and determined as she was, Florrie Phillips decided that she must have a larger and better home which husband Lionel agreed. The area that was to become Parktown at that stage was developing into a more fashionable suburb. In his book Reminisces, Lionel Phillips describes that "while in the course of her explorations on horseback she lighted upon a charming site about two miles to the North of the Noord Street Hohenheim". He was taken to inspect this grand discovery and was enraptured with it, especially the magnificent view on the edge of the high plateau...

In the short article below, Oscar Norwich, Johannesburg historian and collector, looks at the lives and mansions of a few of the Randlords. These were the men who shaped the history of early Johannesburg following the discovery of the largest goldfield on earth. The piece first appeared in the old Johannesburg Historical Foundation's journal 'Between the Chains'. Thank you to the Norwich family for their kind permission to publish this article.

The Diamond Rush of the early 1870s and the Gold Rush of the 1880s changed South Africa in a few years from a somewhat backward and unattractive country to a vast land of opportunity and fortune. The Randlords refer to those many colourful and dynamic personalities who seized these golden opportunities. Among them were many of the outstanding builders who fought, struggled, intrigued, lied, won and lost until South Africa became what it is today.

Johannesburg was officially proclaimed in 1886, developing and thriving since then in the atmosphere of the Randlords who established their homes in Johannesburg, pursuing their cultural and sporting activities.

One of the most colourful of these Randlords was Barney Barnato. He was born Barnett Isaacs in the poor East End Jewish quarter of London. Several sources suggest that he came to Cape Town with a mere £30 and some doubtful cigars to sell in partnership with his brother-in-law Joel. In a short time he became famous in Kimberley as a senior director of the wealthy De Beers Group and was later appointed a Life Governor. With news of a...

Having read recently some books about 'old Parktown, I am prompted to set down some further impressions and emotions about my five year tenure in that miracle of a suburb, in five different houses. At the time this was predicated by the need for a cheap home for myself, lover and infant son along with a changing circle of friends and a desire for a large house that allowed me to operate a photographic, art studio and darkroom. The fact that Parktown was within walking distance from the city centre and a stone’s throw from shops in Hillbrow made it an ideal choice for impoverished pedestrians and artists keen to borrow some faded grandeur.

My occupancy, initially, of part of a nameless and bland mansion at 5 St David's Place was brief. The house, impressively large, was fronted by a splendid wall and faced directly east, looking out over Parktown's famous oval, then in 1968 more a meadow than a cricket ground.

5 St David's Place

I then found rooms at 'Friedaura', a far larger and perhaps odder mansion situated on the corner of Victoria and St Andrews. It's chief glory was its gates, elaborate wrought and cast iron in flagrant Art Nouveau. These were hung on equally impressive stone gate posts topped with large stone balls, or they...

These impressive gates, a survival from old Parktown, are to be seen at Helpmekaar Girls High or as it is now called, Rand Girls High School, at corner of Empire Road and Melle Street Parktown. The gates were once the pride of the Parktown house Friedaura, one of the original grand Parktown mansions but sadly demolished in the late 1960s. The gates are all that remains.

The mansion was an extraordinary confection; the style was Art Nouveau. The architecture brought the latest fashionable European turn of the century style to Johannesburg, the young town on the Highveld. The architects, clearly entranced by the curvilinear flourishes in flowers and tendrils, were Hermann Kallenbach and his partner of the time, Arthur Reynolds. The date was circa 1903/04 (the date on the porte cochère was 1904).

East Elevation of Friedaura

The suburb of Parktown was established in the 1890s by the Braamfontein Company, an offshoot of the H Eckstein group of companies  (familiarly known as Corner House). The style of architecture was fluid and eclectic – with an emphasis on grand reception rooms, entertainment and garden follies. They were the homes of the men who had made their fortunes in the new gold mining town – in mining or banking, merchandising or the professions. Herbert Baker came to the Transvaal with a brief from...

I have been looking for an ideal opportunity to share these pictures of a little known garden railway built by my wife’s great-grandfather, Arthur Nieman Smith. I’ve also managed to ask some of the remaining descendents what they could remember of the railway.

The caption in Kenneth Smith’s 1922 photo album reads: “Daddy’s Railway looking north”

View of the main railway station (see main image as well). Towards the right of the picture is a pair of tools, a hammer and a pair pliers to remove nails from horse shoes or from wood. (Kenneth Smith, August 1922)
 

It existed at a time in the 1920s when steam engines and horse drawn vehicles were the order of the day. King George V was on the throne, Jan Smuts Avenue was still gravel and the Union flag still flew over the recently completed Union Buildings in Pretoria. Photographs were extremely rare and printed small. Care...

In late 1971, Robbie Hinds gave up his lease on 5 St David's Place Parktown. His commercial film company had not been a success so I, as his Assistant, Art Director, Driver, Stills Photographer and Caretaker was faced with finding a new home for my myself, my wife and infant son. Another 'orphan of this storm' was Gordon le Sueur who had a room in the annex behind 5 St David's (previously a boarding house). My great friend Arthur Cantrell came to our rescue. He was an old friend of Geoff Maitland, a distinctly eccentric Englishman, who had been renting No 12 Queens Road or 'Wynnstay' but was vacating soon. I hurried up the hill to speak to Geoff Maitland about taking over his lease.

Wynnstay was designed in 1913 by the architect Percival Hill Mitchelson (The Heritage Portal)

Geoff Maitland had been eking out an existence as an aerial photographer, perhaps something he had done in the war, when he probably met Arthur Cantrell. He proudly showed me his darkroom in a converted pantry off the passage to the kitchen. It was rather makeshift and I noticed there were no safelights rigged above his developing trays. Apparently Geoff was in ignorance of safelights and had been processing his prints purely by guesswork in total darkness! I'm sure he had other harmless...

In late October 2023, friends and family gathered in Johannesburg to celebrate Flo Bird's 80th birthday. Flo has been a tireless campaigner for Johannesburg and South Africa's heritage for several decades. Below is the speech delivered by Kathy Munro to mark the big occasion.

Flo and your family, welcome and to all our heritage community, we welcome you. Today we have the extraordinary privilege of coming together to celebrate a momentous occasion - an 80th birthday.

But this is no ordinary 80th birthday; it's an opportunity to honour a life that has left an indelible mark on Johannesburg and our heritage community.

Flo Bird unveiling a plaque on Doveton Road, Parktown

Flo is a born and bred Johannesburger. She has always lived in Parktown and is descended from Johannesburg pioneers. She has spent her entire adult life committed to her city – researching and writing about Johannesburg, She founded the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust and in 2012 she founded the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation. She is still engaged in the heritage fight and still sits on the Joint Plans Committee - its meetings are a fixed date in her calendar.

It is due to her efforts that we do not have another motorway slicing through Parktown, that at least...

On Sunday 16 July, Johannesburg Heritage members, in partnership with the Freemasons of Johannesburg, hosted the blue plaque unveiling celebration at Freemasons Hall, Parktown.

The crowd gathers outside Freemasons Hall (Vincent Carruthers)

Opened in 1957 and designed by Gordon Leith, the building captures Leith’s architectural commitment to the classical and traditional. There is an echo of the Herbert Baker spirit (Leith was a disciple and apprenticed to Herbert Baker). With its imposing Corinthian columns fronting a long ambulatory and the imposing bronze faced double entrance, this is an august but austere building. It has served the Freemasons well for over 60 years. The design of the building underlines a quiet grandeur but also achieves effortless functionality. The craftsmanship and detailing focus on the symbols and insignia of Free Masonry. There is symbolism, allegory and intent behind each object, the classic insignia of freemasonry are building tools such as the square and compass, the trowel and the level. The first masons were the builders creators and craftsmen of European cathedrals. The Freemasons brotherhood is rooted in ancient biblical ritual - pelicans, cornucopias, eagles all have special significance.

Gordon Leith himself was a senior Freemason. He served Johannesburg well as the architect of several important buildings in...

A few months ago I was taking a group on a tour of the Randlords and their homes, and we were standing outside Sir Herbert Baker's lovely Stonehouse in Parktown, when the owner, Colin Barrow, walked up to the gate with an enormous smile. I nearly did a cartwheel when he said: "Would you like to come in?" After all, it's not every idle Tuesday morning that the owner of a historic home invites a bunch of strangers to walk through his home. It was a delightful tour within a tour.

Stonehouse (The Heritage Portal)

Built in 1902, the house literally grows out of the stone koppie, up two finely crafted stone storeys, and is testament to Baker’s simple but homely taste. It’s built on his trademark H-plan, with a central atrium, and two wings on either side. It’s an example of the Arts and Crafts back-to-nature style, and could fit easily in the English countryside. Baker trained stonemasons on site, and used Cape Town metalworker George Bess to fashion the lovely brass door handles and knockers, chandeliers and light switches. 

It has seven colourful tile and wood fireplaces, often with a moulded motif or ornamental alcoves above them, vaulted ceilings, wooden floors and leaded windows, tall, elegant chimneys, and a shingle roof. It is an elegant and comfortable home, with a lush...