Sandton

Last month we published an article from the Restorica archives where the author spoke about the power of excursions to heritage sites to inspire the youth (click here to read). We are sure most readers can remember at least one phenomenal trip during their childhood that has left an impact to this day. Over the last few weeks we have been sent some wonderful stories and photographs of recent adventures.

The stand out submission came from Holly Muggeridge from Riverview Prep School in Malalane. Teachers from the school arranged a visit for Grade 4 and 5 pupils to the landmark Samora Machel Monument and Museum near Mbuzini (commemorating the air crash that killed the Mozambican President, top government officials and Soviet airmen in 1986). Muggeridge was so moved by the experience and the explanation of the Monument’s design and symbolism that as soon as she arrived home she set about building a scale model. This was not part of an assignment set by teachers but a spontaneous reaction to what she had seen and felt on the trip. She also experimented with various sounds for a video recreating the wailing sound that the Monument makes when the wind blows (architect José Forjaz placed small holes in the steel tubes to create this sound). If this wasn’t enough Muggeridge turned from artist and director to journalist, recording how her fellow students had experienced the outing. It is truly amazing to see how the excursion acted as a catalyst for a creative explosion...

In August 1988 an article appeared in The Star with the headline 'Sandton historians seeking facts about mystery man'. Researchers from the Sandton Historical Association (SHA) had found a neglected grave in the veld just off Sloane Street in Bryanston but knew nothing of ‘John Richard Davis, born 8th December 1876, Died at Craigieburn, 25th May 1948’. The case generated significant interest and caught the attention of Davis’ daughter Molly Steel and others who helped researchers to build a picture of Bryanston’s mystery man.

Davis grew up in Rossacarbery, County Cork in Ireland, was schooled in England and completed a Diploma in Engineering while studying in Glasgow in the 1890s. The reasons why he came to South Africa at the turn of the century are unclear but according to Steel he arrived ‘with only 6d in his pocket… and spent it on a cup of coffee!’ He worked on the mines for many years before starting a spare parts business, specialising in Austin engines, in Motortown in 1920. The same year he met and married Nora Coventry from Bergville, Natal. The couple had Molly in 1923 but separated a few years later.

By the mid 1930s Davis was a wealthy man thanks to hard work and the rapid growth of the motor industry. Along with his partner John Macrae, he established Craigieburn, a grand hunting estate located to the east of where the Bryanston CBD is today. He was active on the social scene and counted many affluent Johannesburg citizens...

It is hard to believe that the land to the east of the Bryanston CBD was once home to a grand hunting estate. The following article, originally published in an old journal of the Sandton Historical Association, sheds some light on the fascinating story.

Over fifty years ago, to the north of what is Sandton today, there was a fine hunting estate called 'Craigieburn', which echoed to the sound of happy guests, and where, each Sunday, the Union Jack was raised with royal precision to announce that the owners were in residence. A small farmhouse stood among the graceful pine trees, and it was a place of beauty and peace, a country retreat safe from the hubub of fast developing Johannesburg. Today, some of those pine woods remain, but they are fast being swallowed by townhouse developments to meet the need of our expanding population.

'Cragieburn' was just off what was then the main road to Pretoria (still called Main Road) and had been part of the original farm granted to JP Badenhorst in 1859 when land registrations were formalised in the Transvaal in the July of that year. The farm was 'Rietfontein 15' and was one of the five which made up our modern town of Sandton, the others being: Witkoppen, Driefontein, Zandfontein and Cyferfontein.

North of where Sloane Street, Bryanston is today, 'Cragieburn' comprised 23 Morgen through which a small stream runs northwards. Parkland has been retained on either side of this as well as an adjoining park to the...

In the early 1990s the Sandton Historical Association, with expert guidance from Professional Land Surveyor Werner Kirchhoff hoped to erect a Beacon monument to mark the boundary line between two of Sandton's original farms. Although the initiative did not get past the planning stage, the vision for the project was documented in an excellent article written by Avril Reid and Kirchhoff. Below are a few extracts from the article (SHA's 1993 annual magazine) revealing some fascinating history about beacons and boundaries.

A beacon, or boundary corner mark, marking the division between two of Sandton’s old farms was recently relocated at the South-Western corner of Sandown at the junction of West Street, Linden Road and Wierda Road East. It is at a point where traffic improvements will make a new island and it is proposed to mark this historic point with a concrete pyramid replacing the original stone cairn.

Proposed Sandton Beacon

This interesting landmark has been relocated by Werner Kirchhoff, Professional Land Surveyor, who was instructed by Nedcor to resurvey the boundaries of Erf 535 Sandown Extension 44 where they are extending their Technical Information Centre.

During the early years of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal), land ownership was extremely important - abundant land was a principal reason for the Great Trek. The Sandton beacon identified above...

I have noticed that many people are trying to establish the location of the Lord Howe Race Track in Kelvin. It is possible that the borehole is still there so if one can find it the rest may fall into line (see sketch below). Another clue that could assist the heritage enthusiast is that the main straight was at the top of a hill and finished in a dip. I can recall these details as I spent quite a bit of time in the pits and in the grandstand as a child as my dad, Prosser Roberts, was a fearsome racer during the 1930s. He raced the Bugatti pictured above.

Sketch of the Lord Howe Race Track in Kelvin, Sandton

Memories of the Lord Howe Circuit

The borehole was a godsend in the summer months as the track got stinking hot. I can remember walking from the grandstand to the borehole for a drink of that cold clear water but by the time I got back to the grandstand I was thirsty again! It had an old reciprocating pump driven by a Villiers two stroke motor with no silencer. The crack of the motor’s exhaust hurt my ears. The drive was a flat belt which was looked after by a kind hearted old man who was liked by everybody. When you arrived for water he would give the belt a pull to start the motor and when you were done he would...

In a speech given to the Sandton Historical Association in the late 1970s, Councillor Bill Hedding mentioned a very special historical site in the area - a school that managed to survive the onslaught of apartheid legislation and was connected to some of the most influential people in South Africa at the time. It also appears that part of the school is one of the few, if not the only, memorial to US President John F Kennedy in Africa.

No story about the schools in Bryanston would be complete without relating the story of the school which has had the biggest battle to survive. I refer to the Witkoppen School for Blacks [now Witkoppen Primary School], which though it is not in Bryanston, has been the concern of Bryanstonians and others for many years. A Mr Mason, who had started the nucleus of a school in 1927, donated two acres of his farm on which it stood to the African people of Witkoppen. The Anglican Board of Management controlled the new school.

Main Entrance to Witkoppen Primary School (The Heritage Portal)

In 1955 the Bantu Education Act was passed and the then Bishop of Johannesburg, the Rt Rev. Ambrose Reeves, decided to close the school rather than hand it over to the state. The Principal, Mr Jack, called a meeting of...

It is hard to imagine that there was once a Grand Prix Race Track in Kelvin, Sandton. The article below, compiled by Ted Steyn, uncovers some remarkable local racing history. The piece appeared in the 1992 annual magazine of the Sandton Historical Association.

Until 1936 all the area now known as 'Kelvin' was farmland and it included the farms of Lombardy and Bergvalei (or Bergvlei). In 1936 the South African Motor Racing Company was formed by enthusiasts who wanted a race track near Johannesburg in order to promote their sporting activities.

Location of Kelvin (Google Maps)

The Kelvin area was chosen for this purpose and, at the substantial cost of £32 000, a 2.5 mile race track was built on a 195ha site, which had its centre at the present junction of Sunnyway and Fairway. The land was bought for £13,244.22 from Michele Angelo Zoccola and comprised portions of the farms Lombardy and Bergvlei. The racing track development was financed by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, F.A. Unger and others, and was named the 'Lord Howe Circuit' commemorating the racing driver son of the Earl of Athlone who had been Governor-General of South Africa between 1923 and 1931.

Sunny Way and Fair Way Kelvin (Google Maps)

In...

A few years ago Mushroom Farm Park in Sandton Central was used by the Bombela Consortium to access the Gautrain Tunnel during construction. As soon as the work was completed the company rehabilitated the green space and today it is a phenomenal resource for the Sandton community as well as many local and international visitors. Many people have asked about the name and want to know if there was ever a mushroom farm in Sandton Central. The following article, compiled by Avril Reid and first published in the Sandton Historical Association's 1994 journal, sheds some light on the matter (edited by The Heritage Portal).

The ‘Mushroom Farm’ is a tranquil and green public park near Sandton City with a pond and a small stream flowing though it. Surrounded by high rise office buildings, flats and town houses, this park is an oasis in the busy hub of the business world.

Mushroom Farm Park (The Heritage Portal)

Metropolis On Park, a new luxury residential apartment block, rises above Mushroom Park (The Heritage Portal)

But why the strange name “Mushroom Farm”? The reason is simple - because that’s just what it used to be. Where the park is today...

In 1979 Dorothy O'Kennedy, an old resident of Rivonia, commenced a tremendous journey of discovery to find Rivonia's First Shop. Her story was published in the annual journal of the Sandton Historical Association. We retraced her steps but were unable to confirm whether or not the old building is still there. If you have any information on the shop please contribute to the comments section at the bottom of the article. Rivonia has certainly changed since this piece was first published!

I did not realise that I was part of the history of Sandton, until I noticed an appeal in The Star for people who had lived here in the early days to come forward and tell what they could remember.

In 1912 my family moved from Johannesburg to Rivonia - known then as Edenburg. I was eight years old, and I lived there until my marriage in 1926. My parents owned the tea garden Sleepy Hollow which was visited by people en route between Johannesburg and Pretoria. In those days it was much smaller than the present well known hotel.

One of the things which I remembered about my childhood in Rivonia was that Mr and Mrs Shull had a shop which was the focus of the neighbourhood, but no one else seemed to have mentioned it when reminiscing about the 'old days' so I determined to look for it, and to discover whether the building still existed.

As I had not returned to Rivonia for many years, I...

Over the last few decades the name Sandton has become synonymous with wealth, luxury and privilege. One could even argue that it has become a valuable and iconic brand. There may be debate about what the brand represents and what it should be used for but very few people have an issue with the name itself. It is therefore hard to imagine that in the late 1960s there was a huge outcry when Sandton was officially named.

The Iconic Sandton City Skyscraper (The Heritage Portal)

The Rand Daily Mail ran an ongoing campaign against the choice of name. It even arranged an unofficial referendum where the vast majority of residents voted against the name Sandton. The short article below is one of the best we can find to give you an idea of the feeling of the time:

One would be hard put to find a more uninspired name for the new town on Johannesburg's northern borders than the one that has been officially chosen. From a short list submitted by the new town councillors the provincial authorities have plumped for Sandton - a characterless and unpronounceable portmanteau word derived from the town's two main suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston.

It is not the provincial authorities who are chiefly to blame for...