Old Joburg: New trip around old block

28 September 2016 - 10:50 By Andrew Unsworth
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GOTH EXPRESS: The voluminous main hall of old Johannesburg railway station, built in 1927. After much public debate the design brief was awarded jointly to rival architects who each designed portions of the building
GOTH EXPRESS: The voluminous main hall of old Johannesburg railway station, built in 1927. After much public debate the design brief was awarded jointly to rival architects who each designed portions of the building

Paul Duncan and Cape Town photographer Alain Proust are the masters of this beautiful volume featuring a collection of architectural heritage.

Hidden Johannesburg may be a bit exaggerated as the 28 buildings described and illustrated include schools, places of worship, houses, business blocks and even a beer hall: the famous Radium in Orange Grove. As Duncan says, most are well looked after and still used, only Park Station is in danger of dereliction: its Blue Room is on the cover.


SPIRAL: Anstey's Building is an art deco building in J o h a n n e s b u rg ’s downtown. It took its name from Norman Anstey, mayor and founder of one of the best known stores in the city

Duncan's writing is both informative and personal, while Proust's photographs provide a clarity and richness of colour that really add glamour to what is already an extraordinarily rich supply of beautiful buildings, most of which have survived in a city that is always in a state of regeneration.


VINDALOO: The View, Ridge Road, Parktown. Period interiors have been brought back to life. Flowers decorate the entrance hall’s wainscot, while the painted frieze above the arches depicts exotic birds.

Most of the buildings are from the first half of the 20th century, and are in the city centre, Killarney, and the older northern suburbs. The oldest is the Old Fort in Braamfontein, perhaps an odd inclusion in this collection. The youngest is the extraordinary Nizamiye Masjid in Midrand.


GOLD DUST: The Radium Beerhall is the oldest surviving bar and grill in Johannesburg, with an ambiance that's just as enticing as the good food. It is as authentic as the live jazz that makes the embossed tin ceiling vibrate in sympathy. The walls are covered in memorabilia, from photos of prewar soccer teams and jazzmen who have played there, to vintage posters and clippings that record the Radium's history

The exclusion of Baker's St Mary's Cathedral in the CBD is a surprise, but then maybe five churches were enough.

Those who think of Johannesburg as a pretty ugly modern city should dive into this book: those who already love its treasures should add it to their collection.

  • Hidden Johannesburg, by Paul Duncan and Alain Proust. (Struik, R390).
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